Absence of Light
by SniperCT
Summary: Ten years ago, Avatar Korra opened a spirit portal in the center of Republic City. In the decade since, Korra has overseen a new era of peace. But there are dangers old and new, creeping shadows threatening to strangle and choke out the light and throw the world back out of balance. In the absence of light, what hope remains?
1. Prologue

In a place that changed easily, the man's presence beneath the old tree was a constant of sorts. The woman approached him, standing in the shadows several feet away. "You look terrible, old man." He was grayed and thin, the skin hanging from his bones. Once, he'd been strong, but that was a long time ago. She wasn't here for his physical strength.

"It's almost time." His eyes were closed, and he sat cross-legged. "I have one lesson left for you."

"There's only a few of us." Frowning, the woman studied him, amber eyes taking in his dessicated figure. "We're not ready yet. It's not ready yet."

He opened his eyes. "It will be. You are many. I've made sure of that. When you are done, you will blot out the sun."

Regarding him for a moment, she made a decision. Sitting in front of him, she assumed the lotus position. "I am ready for your lesson."

"We'll begin with your element. Fire."

Rain pelted down on Asami's head, and she looked skyward. "It's picking up again!" To her left, Earthbenders were shoring up a crumbling section of the dam. Water sloshed violently on the rim, threatening to flood over the top, but the real concern was the whole structure. She ran along the base, placing flags at weak points. Cracks were forming at a faster rate than the benders could keep up with, and water started to spout from several of the cracks. The dam groaned menacingly.

"Jia, here." She pointed at the rapidly spider-webbing cracks. "Get Korra, this needs to be reinforced _now_."

Thunder rumbled and it was like some god or goddess had upended a bucket. The water came down hard, and visibility dropped to only a few feet. The wind gusts sometimes made it go sideways and if Asami wasn't so well trained she'd have lost her balance. Ducking her head against the deluge she strained to listen to the dam and shouted, "Korra!"

"I'm here!" Her wife grabbed her arm. Asami didn't spare her more than the briefest smiles. Her voice was sore from yelling to be heard above the storm. "We need to reinforce the dam right here, if this gives out the whole thing collapses and a lot of people are going to die! It's already starting to go!"

Nodding, Korra punched her fist into her palm and took a step towards the dam. She started to bend supports from the earth, pillars shooting out to brace the structure. Korra tried to seal some of the cracks, but they were forming faster than she could keep up. She paused to look it over, then shook her head. "That's not going to be enough, is it?"

"No! There's a giant reservoir pushing against it! Engineers can repair it when the storm is over but we just need it to hold!"

Korra glanced back at her wife. Asami's hair was plastered to her head and her shirt was glued to her body. It was an attractive sight. White light filled Korra's eyes. "What is it you always say? No better muscle than the Avatar?"

Korra planted her feet in the ground, her long braid whipping in the wind as the rain lashed at her. As she pulled her hands up, earth rumbled up to the dam, as far along either side as Asami could see. She realized this wouldn't work, not like this. "Korra! You need to curve it! Make it follow the curve of the dam! It'll break otherwise!"

"Got it!" Korra shifted her stance and the massive structures of rocks shifted with her. It wasn't pretty, but it would hold through the storm. She ran back to Asami's side and wrapped her arms around her. "Good enough?"

Pretending to look past Korra and judge the Avatar's work, Asami clucked her tongue. "It'll do."

"Your make-up is running." Korra ran her thumb over Asami's lips. "And now your lipstick is smudged."

Laughing, she shoved at Korra's shoulder. "I'll live! Lets get back to the airship."

"Are we in such a hurry to get back, Mrs. Sato?" Korra lifted her up and started to carry her.

"If we miss our anniversary, the storm will be the _least_ of your problems, Mrs. Sato." Asami squirmed until Korra set her back down. The two pushed through the rain and the wind until they reached the airship. Asami turned and rubbed her hand up Korra's arm. "I'm glad you came. This would have been a disaster without you."

"I had a hunch when you told me how bad the storm was." Korra gave her a grin, that lopsided cocky smile that she'd known for fourteen years. She couldn't help it. She wrapped her arms around Korra and kissed her, runny makeup and all.

Even after they'd dried off and settled into the airship's lounge, Korra kept a little bit of Asami's make-up smudged on her face as a sort of mark of honor. She sat on the couch and bumped her shoulder against Asami's. "Storm should let up soon, but I don't think we'll make it back to Republic City in time."

"I prepared for that." Jia looked up from some files. She wore a pencil skirt and golden earrings, and had black hair styled in an elaborate bun. Asami had hired her right out of the University as a personal assistant and she'd proven to be well worth her paycheck. It didn't hurt that she never batted an eye when Asami did something dangerous. "Wine is chilling in the ice box and there are sweets in the kitchen. You could set up on deck once we're airborne."

"Thank you, Jia. What would I ever do without you?"

"The company would fall apart, ma'am." There was a little twinkle of mischief in Jia's amber eyes and the three of them shared a laugh.

It wasn't long before they were in the air. The rain had washed down the whole airship, giving it a fresh smell. Korra walked to the railing and looked down at the dam. Asami leaned next to her. "We're going to do a couple of passes before we go, just to make sure everything looks sound."

Korra pointed towards one end of the dam. "Crews are already working."

"They'll smooth out your work, check for weak points, and employ permanent solutions." Asami cast a sly grin at Korra. "Jagged bits of rock aren't exactly aesthetically pleasing."

"I'm the Avatar, not an artist." She sighed, and watched Asami take notes as they circled the dam. Once a report was radioed to the ground, they finally got underway. Korra waited on deck, shifting on her feet, and rubbed her palm with her thumb. Jia had set some chairs on deck, as well as a table, and Korra took a seat to wait.

Asami finally came onto deck, carrying a basket and the bottle of wine. "Good vintage."

"We should be pretty safe up here." Korra murmured. Asami knelt over her, tilting her chin up.

"Everything will be fine, just like every other year." Her voice was kind, and understanding. She brushed her fingers along Korra's cheeks, and then traced the laugh lines that were starting to form near her eyes. "You haven't even had that dream in years."

Leaning into the touch, Korra forced herself to relax. She was just a little antsy. She always got this way before she could force herself to relax and have fun. "You're right. Sorry. You were amazing down there, Asami."

"You're the amazing one. You practically built a new dam."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have known what to do, or where, without your help! And it's your company helping oversee the repairs and reconstruction." Korra leaned forward. "And you're doing it pro bono."

"Good press," Asami said, though she was beaming. She removed the cork and poured them wine then leaned against the table. "Five years married to you. I'm surprised I don't have any grey hairs."

Korra gave her wife an indignant look. "Are you sure about that?"

Asami mirrored Korra's look. "I'm thirty-two years old, I don't get grey hairs."

"Between running Future Industries and dealing with me," Korra teased. "You should be a silver-haired fox by now. Tell me your secret, what kind of hair product do you use?"

She nearly fell out of her chair when Asami laughed so hard that she snorted. The sound made Korra laugh, and she tugged her wife down into her lap. Asami buried her face in Korra's neck until she could breathe again, then shifted into a straddling position and lifted her head. Korra gazed up at her, spellbound. Adoringly, she whispered, "You snorted."

"Korra!" Asami started to laugh again, and Korra's fingers started to slide around her stomach and into all her most ticklish spots. She squirmed, laughing until she was out of breath before counter-attacking.

Jia lifted her head from her work as the sound of their raucous laughter drifted in. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

 _ **)I hope everyone enjoys this. I intend to update every 1-2 weeks depending on my work schedule!)**_


	2. Quiet Mornings

There were twelve people, arranged in a circle surrounding Asami. She shifted her heels, adjusting her balance as she studied them. Bringing her fists up, glove sparking, she prepared for the inevitable. They converged on her at the same time. She jabbed back with her elbow, flipping over one man and landing on her feet outside the circle. A kick, then another jab, and a shock from her glove and three men were down. Asami bounced back, pulling something out of a pouch on her belt. She threw three orbs. They bounced off of the ground, each striking a man or woman in the chest. Electricity crackled and they screamed before dropping to the ground.

Asami rolled forward, popping up with a hand spring and slamming both of her feet into an attacker's face. She used her momentum to ride him down then kicked off of his face. Her knee broke someone's nose and he crashed to the ground beneath her. The remaining four attackers turned and ran as something sharp cut through her back. She coughed up blood and it dribbled down her chin.

"Wake up," a woman's voice whispered in her ear.

Bolting upright in bed, Asami gasped for breath. Her hand flew to her chest, but nothing was sticking out of it, and the only thing on her chin was a little drool. She pressed her face against her palm until the panic subsided. Slipping out of bed and padding to the washroom, she splashed water on her face. Asami couldn't remember the last time she'd had a nightmare, let alone one as vivid as that had been.

Skipping her shower for now, she wandered out of the bedroom and down the hall. Asami and Korra lived in a penthouse suite overlooking the spirit portal. It took up the entire floor and was lavishly furnished. There was a small gym and Asami had a large workshop hidden behind double doors. Asami had also installed as many modern amenities as she or her engineers had come up with. There was a large radio, all rounded edges and intricately carved wood, as well as one of Varrick's prototype Radiomovers with it's gently rounded screen. He was researching ways to transmit pictures over the radio airwaves and she'd volunteered to help. So far, he'd only sent old Nuktuk movers over the air. The quality was less than stellar but there was real potential, especially for live broadcasts.

Asami often field tested her products in her own home. The self-cooling icebox had proven to be a massive boon for Future Industries, and she had recently installed an automatic dish washer. She had hope that the technology she'd developed to track aircraft could eventually be used to cook food quickly, but that was still in early development.

The door to the icebox was open and she could see Korra's rear end sticking out while she rummaged through it. She immediately relaxed, her nightmare fading from her thoughts, and walked behind her wife. She rested her hands on Korra's hips and pulled her back against her body. "I'm finding the Avatar in a very compromising position, what should I do with her?"

Korra jumped, hitting her head on a shelf. "Oof." Rubbing her head, she straightened and turned around. Her grin was sloppy as she slinked her arms around Asami's waist. "I was going to make you breakfast in bed, but I guess I took too long."

Asami glanced at the clock. She was a little surprised that Korra was even up at this hour. She must have really wanted to make breakfast for her. "I don't have anything scheduled until later."

"Get in the shower," Korra ordered. "I should be done by the time you get out."

"Are you telling me I stink?" Asami pretended to be offended, but when Korra turned towards the stove she reached out to run her fingers through long brown hair. "Let me just get this for you first…"

"You act like it's bad luck if you don't get to braid my hair."

"Are you complaining?" Asami felt a momentary disquiet, then shook the feeling off.

"Mm. No. I was going to just put it up today." It would be quicker.

"I don't mind."

Korra's hair was braided by the time breakfast was ready. On the quieter mornings, when they had no plans for the day or she wasn't needed at work, she took her time. Asami had gotten very good at braiding quickly, but she preferred the slower days.

Korra put out the plates, and Asami sat down to dig in. "I've got an R&D meeting before noon, then I'm having lunch with Bolin before a shareholder meeting later. Got any plans today?"

"Nothing really. I was going to hang out in the city with Naga, see how people are doing, maybe pester Mako." Korra waved her fork around. "Taking the pulse of the people or something like that. You know, Avatar things."

"Avatar things," Asami repeated. She raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Less exciting than shoring up a dam I think."

"How are the repairs going?" Korra shifted forward, giving Asami her rapt attention.

Asami loved when Korra listened. Over the years she'd gotten her wife to understand more and more of the technical details, simply through repetition and patient explanations. Korra sometimes tried to study up on her own, which was endearing. "The dam has passed inspection and right now an artist is sculpting the rock you used to hold the dam into something decorative."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Avatars. Kyoshi, Aang. A couple others."

Korra nodded. That made sense.

"And you."

"What? But I didn't really do anything!"

"Without your efforts and the efforts of the Air Benders, the Earth Kingdom would be a lot more unstable than it is now. You were very visible, helping out where you could. And you _did_ stop Kuvira. A lot of people are grateful for that."

"A lot of people would have been perfectly happy if Kuvira had won," Korra pointed out. She'd spent the better part of a year helping refugees and taking down the occasional loyalist. She was pretty sure some of that would come back to bite her, eventually. But it had been years, and things were relatively peaceful. Except for natural disasters and the occasional spirit related dispute, Korra's life had quieted down. She was still trying to figure out what the Avatar's duty even _was_ in this new world.

"Not as many as you think." After the camps were revealed, King Wu had ordered them heavily documented and the information spread as widely as possible. A lot of Kuvira's support had soured after that and Wu had proven to a popular figurehead. His position was now officially ceremonial, and his powers limited to all but a few functions. Asami still found it hard to believe he'd grown as much as he had. He was still a goofball. But then Korra could be a goofball too. Double dates with Bolin and Opal sometimes ended in food fights.

"I guess you're right." Korra settled back in her chair, and Asami rested her chin on one hand and watched her.

Korra looked back at her."What?"

"I'm tempted to take the day off, but I _really_ need to do this R &D thing."

Korra smirked. "And the shareholders?"

"Screw them, I'll have Jia handle it. Lets go out to dinner tonight."

Looking a little dejected, Korra shook her head. "Tenzin invited us over to Air Temple Island for dinner. Jinora and Kai are back in town. I think Mako and Bolin are going to be there too. No romantic dinner for us."

"Think they'll have room for one more?" Asami chewed on her lip. She didn't see any of them as much as she really wanted to.

"Asami, of course there's room for one more. The invitation was for the both of us." Korra stood up and walked around the table to stand at Asami's side. Asami leaned her head against Korra's stomach, and closed her eyes as fingers threaded into her hair. "We'll just have to do something later to make up for it. Still want to miss your meeting?"

"The company practically runs itself these days. They won't miss me." She let herself be tugged up, wrapping her arms around Korra and squeezing her. "Besides, I may or may not be grooming Jia to take over some day."

"We'll never get anything done if you keep that up." Korra's hand slid down Asami's back as she inhaled that scent that was so very much _Asami_. Citrus and oil and leather and something indescribable, almost electric.

"That's the plan." Asami's fingers squeezed at her biceps, and then she was pulling her wife into a kiss. Korra's eyes snapped shut and she pushed Asami against the table, grinning as her wife's teeth nipped at her lips. Then she pulled away, trying to ignore a pout that made her knees weak.

"You have an R&D thing, remember? And you still need to shower and get your make-up ready." She waggled a finger. "You'll just have to be patient."

" _Patient_? Who are you and what have you done with Korra?" She pouted at Korra again, then laughed as she scrambled out of reach. The pout wasn't fair and Korra knew that Asami knew it.

"You're going to be late! Or do you remember how I kept making you late when we were first together and no one will ever let us live that down?" Korra planted a hand on her hip and made a shooing motion at Asami. Truth was, that hadn't really changed.

The memory brought redness to Asami's face, and she chose to flee, rather than let Korra claim some kind of victory.

Time in the shower gave Asami a chance to mentally prepare for her day. Jia could handle her meeting after lunch, so that was a weight off of her shoulders. She'd learned to trust the woman and the two had become good friends over the past three years. With some urging from Korra, Asami had made a concerted effort to build a network of friends outside of her small bubble of Korra, Mako, Bolin and the airbenders after she'd realized how easy it could be to end up alone again if the unthinkable were to happen.

Asami had spent too much of her life alone to ever want to go back to living like that again. She hurried up with her shower, drying off (with some 'help' from Korra) before getting her face put together. She had an audience some mornings, and this was one of them.

"You know how there are some caterpillars that are really gorgeous, right? And then they turn into a cocoon and come out looking like even more beautiful butterflies? Sometimes I think of that when you're putting your make-up on."

She turned towards Korra as she closed her kit. "That was...actually really profound and sweet. I'm touched."

Her wife grinned proudly at her, then moved her hand towards her hair and plucked a strand. "Oh hey look. Grey hair!"

Asami groaned. "And then you go and do that. That's not a grey hair, you're just messing with me!"

Korra held it up to the light. "Totally a grey hair!"

"I am going to murder you," Asami warned, standing. Korra backed out of the bedroom, still waving the hair like it was a kind of prize. Then she darted down the hallway laughing as Asami chased after her. She might make Asami late for work, but it was worth it.

Asami was actually late to work, but it was a slow day as she was walking into the Research and Development department of Future Industries. The department stretched three stories, with the roof far overhead. There was a different platform for each project, linked by catwalks. The floor was dominated by a dozen large cubes, each cube serving as a testing room for sensitive projects. A small office was built into the south-west corner, and it was there that Asami met with her project heads.

"So what do you have for me today?" She looked at each of her project heads in turn. There was Eito, a tall, spindly man with a nervous disposition who was in charge of her appliances division. Next to him stood Ai Li, a firey woman about Korra's height. She ran the aeronautics division and had been pursuing a new engine technology she and Asami had dreamed up one late night. The Satomobile division was headed up by an Earth Nation woman in her forties named Nuan. Arriving just as Asami did was Xun, the man she'd put in charge of researching entirely new technologies.

Eito stepped forward first. He bowed his head respectfully, before unrolling a schematic. He possessed a slight stutter. "W-we had a breakthrough yesterday in food storage. By flash-freezing the product under high pres-pressure, we can freeze food for long-term travel or storage. It would...would allow remote populations access to everything from exotic vegetables to..to fish."

She nodded as he spoke. "Is it safe after thawing?"

"Yes." He rolled the schematic back up and squeezed it in his hands. "and if we can perfect the wave c-cooker and make it affordable, that would doubt...doubtless increase the market for...for frozen foods."

"Make the cooker the top priority, the convenience practically sells itself." This was the part that Asami liked best. All the business stuff, the marketing and the dealing with investors were things that she _hated_. Sometimes she wondered if she'd be better served stepping down. But coming up with new ideas, working with her teams to make them realities, those were the things that kept her going. Besides, Future Industries was her _baby_. There were hardly any traces of her father's work left.

"Nuan?"

Nuan adjusted her glasses. "I've nothing new to report. Work on the new line goes smoothly. The special project is on schedule."

"Meet me in my office tomorrow, I have some ideas on improving engine efficiency again."

Jia stepped up to Asami's left, holding out a clipboard. Asami took it and looked it over, then signed her name. She handed the clipboard back.

Xun and Ai Li kept exchanging glances, and Asami folded her arms, looking at them both. "What is it?"

"I have something exciting to show you, so I think Xun should go first." Ai Li shot a devious smirk at her co-worker.

Xun rolled his eyes, and unveiled his schematic. It resembled a series of desks with springs and rods in it. "I call it the differential analyser. It will allow us to perform complex equations much faster than by hand."

Asami picked up the schematic, excitedly mulling over the implications for both business and research. "How soon can you build one?

"Give me a month and you'll have a prototype."

"Get on it, right away." She held the schematic out to him. "And if you manage to size it down, I want one for myself."

"And here I was hoping to be the one to get you all excited." Ai Li flashed a grin at her boss. "But it's ready for a full scale test."

To her credit, Asami managed to sound like the proper executive she was, and not the excited twelve year old Ai Li's words made her feel like. "Really? So soon?"

"Just waiting for you before firing her up. I thought you should be there to see it, it's your design after all."

Asami waited for Ai Li to turn her back to lead her away before she bounced a little in place and silently clapped her hands together. Jia shook her head, but smiled and said nothing. Once Asami had calmed down, she gestured for Jia to come with her and followed her engineer through the building and out onto the test track.

Ai Li's team had set up a cylindrical object on the test track, secured by dozens of wires and a steel platform. Bigger than a Satomobile, the object was wider at one end than the other, and the wider end had some kind of grating over it.. Asami was suddenly very glad she'd come in today.

Cupping her hands around her mouth, Ai Li shouted, "Okay boys! Fire her up!"

There was a quick, rapid fire banging sound, and then the object started to hum. A stream of fire burst out the thinner end and the entire platform shuddered. The men and women at the platform erupted into cheers and Asami found herself pumping her fists in the air and cheering right along with them. She enveloped first Jia and then Ai Li in an enthusiastic hug. "It works!"

"Of course it works! You built the scale model." Ai Li patted Asami's shoulder and then expertly stepped out of the hug. "The design was sound. We had some problems scaling it up until we figured out how to deal with the load from the turbines."

"How soon can we mount it to an airship or a plane?" Asami glanced at the engine as it was shutting down. "We're going to need to design an entirely new fuselage and wing system aren't we."

"Already working on it. But two of these things on an airship should nearly double their speed."

"It's so _loud_ though." Jia rubbed a finger into one of her ears. "Passengers aren't going to like that."

"No, but for a cargo ship it will be fine." Asami tilted her head, tapping a finger against her chin. "And with the right kind of sound proofing, we can build an airship for quick journeys that won't disturb the passengers."

"They won't be able to go on deck," Ai Li pointed out. "Not at those speeds."

"That's not the point. Use the engines for part of the journey, then cut them off to cruise. Use then again for the rest of the trip. The most boring part is when all you can see is ocean."

"Okay." Ai Li nodded. "I see what you're getting at. We'll get the engine mounted to a ship for some test runs, see how loud it gets, and if there are issues with vibrations."

"And a plane?"

"Honestly, Mrs. Sato? I'll try to think of a design, but we're probably years off from an engine small enough for one."

Asami looked a little disappointed. "Lets start with the airships then and go from there. Maybe see about putting one on a boat."

She looked back at the engine, still feeling giddy despite the disappointment about improving aircraft. There were still so many potential uses for it, and it _worked_. She decided she ought to let herself be happy over that.

"Jia, walk with me?"

Her assistant fell into step next to her as Asami bypassed the R&D building and made her way towards the main office. "There's a shareholder meeting this afternoon. I'd like you to handle it."

Jia nearly tripped over her feet. "I'm sorry?" She cleared her throat. "I'd be delighted."

A soft smile crossed Asami's lips, and she touched Jia's arm. She didn't think she'd seen Jia look this rattled before. "You'll do fine. You know this stuff better than I do, and I trust you to stand your ground for me."

"If you have faith in me, I won't let you down." As though she hadn't just had a momentary panic attack, she smoothly and cheekily asked, "Shall I assume your wife convinced you to play hooky?"

"Would you believe me if I said no?" She spared a glance at Jia and pouted at the wide smile on the woman's lips.

"Not in the slightest."


	3. Roots and Beginnings

Korra knew how to drive. She'd even gotten a lot better at it than when she was younger, enough so that she often drove Asami to functions (or just around the city to relax). But despite that, nothing could quite beat rumbling down the street on Naga's back. The polar-bear dog was a strong and energetic as ever, and the pair were as familiar a sight in Republic City neighborhoods as airbenders in their glider suits. The city was her home and she enjoyed this part of her day. She got to chat with people, get into street games with kids and watch the spirits roam about.

She'd questioned herself now and again over the years. If she'd done the right thing with the portals, or with Kuvira. But in her gut and in her heart she'd known she'd done right, and outings like today only reinforced that.

Naga and Korra weren't alone today. Keeping pace on either side of the Avatar and the polar-bear dog were Naga's two puppies. Barely a year old, they were already bigger than Korra. Ronav was the boy, and his sister was named Ronak, and while they were a handful Korra had experience training polar-bear dogs, and it was paying off.

Mostly.

They suddenly bolted ahead of their mother like a pair of runaway trains. Korra's eyes widened as she caught sight of their target. "Oh no."

She brought Naga to a halt next to the newly overturned sausage cart, and surveyed the carnage. Ronak's head had disappeared into the storage compartment, while Ronav was happily slobbering all over the cart's owner. Sliding off of Naga, Korra held up her hands. "I'm so, so sorry, Ji-hwan. I'll pay for everything."

"That's the second time this month!" He took her offered hand and she pulled him to his feet.

Korra grinned at him. "That's progress, right? Last month it was four times." She grabbed Ronak by the collar and pulled her out of the cart. The polar-bear puppy sat on her haunches, her mouth covered in sausage goo as she flicked her tongue around to try to lap it up.

Ronav looked up at Korra and sat at attention.

Fishing around for some money, Korra shook her head at them. "I just don't get it, you two. What is it about these sausages?"

"They're the best sausages-on-a-stick in town." Ji-hwan brushed himself down, then stuck his thumbs into his suspenders. "And I can't really get better advertising than routinely getting bowled over by the Avatar's puppies."

"Well," Korra said, smiling sheepishly as she handed over a stack of bills. "This _is_ my favorite sausage-cart in Republic City."

Half an hour and one cleaned up sausage-cart later, Korra hopped onto Naga's back. "Okay girl, lets hope that the kids don't get us into any more trouble today." Naga huffed, and looked back at the puppies. She let out a bark and then trotted off, her children close behind with their tails tucked between their legs.

The area around the old downtown had had many buildings brought down in the years after Kuvira's assault. Most of the structures had been too unstable to risk leaving standing, but in their place spirits had settled in new homes amongst vines and wildlands. Smaller buildings still remained, inhabited by both spirits and humans living in mostly harmony. Korra liked to cut through the area, talk to the spirits and the people living there and marvel at the transformation.

The city had grown outward, though in recent years it had started to grow upward again as well. The new downtown had several buildings taller than any that had existed before the new spirit portal, three of which were the tallest in the world, surpassing even the Fire Nation's Roku Tower. They seemed to touch the clouds, and on days like this, the tops were obscured by cloud cover.

Marvels of engineering, Asami had called them. The Future Industries logo hung proudly on the tallest; Bolin had once joked that he thought Varrick was the person who thought size mattered. Asami had thrown her sweater at him.

Korra turned her gaze away from the skyscraper, and guided Naga in the direction of one of the new parks. During the planning stages of the reconstruction, Tenzin had suggested that the city could stand to have more open spaces and he and Asami had worked with the rest of the planners to include a dozen parks. Several were named after the founders of Republic City.

Katara Park was crowded today, and people were chanting. She couldn't make out all the words, but several people were carrying signs. Many of them had the letters _SFEBBANB_ on a background filled with the symbols of the four elements. It looked like a mouthful and it wasn't until she saw a sign with it spelled out that she understood what they meant. Korra sighed and slipped off Naga's back.

"Korra!"

She turned and caught sight of Jinora gliding down from a nearby rooftop. "Jinora! What's going on?"

"Another protest."

"Just a general one or is it something specific this time?"

The airbender folded her arms, looking back towards the crowd. "People are unhappy about that new law the president is trying to push. I've been keeping an eye on these protests for a few months now. "

She ruffled her fingers in Naga's fur. "The registration act? I thought it was pretty fair. It doesn't single out non-benders and benders aren't exempt.

"It's more nuanced than that. But it'll make gatherings like this illegal, among other things. It's pretty sweeping."

Korra studied the crowd. They didn't look violent, and if there was one thing she'd learned was that people needed an outlet and to feel like their voice was being heard. But if people were protesting, it meant something was wrong. Maybe it was time to do the Avatar thing and help find balance. "They're not hurting anyone. There are benders and non-benders protesting together. I'll talk to the president, but she's more stubborn than Raiko was."

"She might listen to you. She's a big fan." Jinora smiled, putting her hand on Korra's arm.

Someone jumped on stage, snatching a bullhorn from the woman who'd organized the protest. He shouted into it. " _AMON WAS RIGHT!_ "

A hush fell over the crowd, and Korra bristled, just before everyone started to shout and push at each other. The organizer tried to grab the bullhorn from the man as he continued to shout in increasing hysterics.

Cursing, Korra said, "I gotta stop this before they prove the President right."

Korra had barely started to move when a Fire Nation woman landed on stage in a ball of flame. She spun around on one leg, shooting fire in an arc towards the man with the bullhorn. He ducked out of the way, only to take a blast of air from the woman's fists.

It was enough to bring Korra to a stand still. An icy feeling worked its way from her stomach to her limbs, and she looked at Jinora. "You saw that, right?"

Jinora nodded mutely.

On stage, the man turned to flee, only for the woman to wrap a tendril of water around his leg and yank him into the air. She flung him out into the crowd, which had once again fallen silent. The woman shifted into an earthbending stance, lifting a chunk of rock overhead. She had chin-length dark hair, and her eyes were the color of the sun at dawn. Her features were angular, with an elegantly pointed chin.

Leaping forward, Korra took control of the rock, lowering it to the ground and moving between the man and woman. "I don't know who you are or how you're doing this, but killing the guy isn't going to accomplish anything."

The woman shifted into a stance the Avatar didn't recognize. "You heard the part where he said Amon was right, didn't you? Maybe we need an Avatar willing to fight for her people." The woman's voice was deep and smokey, with a slight upwards lilt to it.

"Everyone deserves equal treatment. It was Amon's methods that were wrong, not his motivation." Korra could sense Jinora moving into a better position. If they timed this right, they could capture her and figure out what was going on. A lot of the rules had changed with Harmonic Convergence and the opening of the third Spirit Portal. Korra wasn't sure what could happen if more people could suddenly control multiple elements, but she didn't like it.

"You'd think you'd be more in tune with the people." The woman swept her arms towards the crowd, her voice rising. "Discontent has been growing for years. People are unhappy with the spirits. With dictators being let off the hook, with benders and non-benders alike being pushed from their homes by people with too much money."

Korra pointed at the woman. "Kuvira was _not_ let off the hook! She was sentenced fairly in a tribunal!"

Behind her, someone shouted, "She should have been executed!"

"You defended her!"

"We all saw the newsreels from the camps! She's a _monster_!"

The crowd was pressing close to her, and Korra raised her voice until her throat ached. "No one deserves to be executed! We're _better_ than that!"

"Then why didn't you take away her bending?" The false Avatar's expression was smug as she folded her arms.

In the resulting silence, Korra could hear her heart rush in her ears. "She isn't a danger any more. She's serving a _life_ sentence and was willing to accept that punishment." And Kuvira was just enough like her that losing her bending would shatter her. Korra just couldn't bring herself to do that. It was as good as a death sentence. It hadn't even been something that had occurred to her; Korra didn't think she had it in her to do that to _anyone_. Not after experiencing it herself. "This isn't about Kuvira. Who or what are you?"

"I'm the future, Avatar Korra. The world doesn't need you any more and soon the day of _reckoning_ will come. Lucky for you, I'm patient." The woman shot out a jet of flame. Korra caught it and harmlessly redirected it, but by the time she'd advanced to the stage, the woman was gone.

People started shouting questions at her. Some shot demands, others hurled insults. She looked around for Jinora, then held her hands up. "Everyone calm down! Please, keep this peaceful! I'm on your side!"

The airbending master landed next to her. "Korra, I've got this. You better go talk to my dad."

"It's been ten years, you think people would be over this by now. And used to the spirits, too."

"Change is hard, Korra."

She smiled ruefully. "Don't I know it."

Asami should have been used to rib crushing hugs by now, but Bolin always managed to surprise her. She hugged him back, then smoothed her blouse down with her hands. "Sorry I'm late. A meeting ran late."

"Don't worry about it!" Bolin waved his hand. "I just got here a few minutes ago, I already ordered the drinks but I couldn't remember if you liked the duck dumplings or the chicken dumplings better so I got us some wraps as an appetizer and ooh how was work?" He plopped down, leaning forward and resting his chin on his fist, a broad smile on his face.

With a laugh, Asami sat down across from him. "I can't give you details in public, but we had a successful test of a new engine. It's going to do to long distance travel what the sato-mobile did for families in Republic City."

"Ooh, that's _so_ exciting! I can't wait to see it!"

"I'll make sure you and your brother get a demonstration later this week," Asami promised. The waiter came by with their drinks and appetizers, and she ordered duck dumplings. Once that was settled, she turned back to her old friend. "How was your trip to Ba Sing Se?"

"Pretty good." Bolin popped a wrap into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before continuing. "Construction is complete, families start moving in next week."

"It's a wonderful thing you're doing." Asami reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "Affordable homes are sometimes hard to come by for people." A fact that she knew Bolin was intimately familiar with.

"I couldn't have done it without your seed money. Speaking of which…!" Bolin reached into his pocket, and pulled out a billfold. "One last repayment!"

"Bolin, you know you didn't have to pay me back."

"I kind of needed to, Asami. You're my friend, and you've done so much for Mako and me. I didn't want to take advantage." He ripped the check out of the book and held it out. "Go ahead, take it. I'm kind of in the black now."

As Asami took the check, he added, lowering his voice. "That's the right word right?"

Asami tucked the check into her purse. She'd donate it to a charity. "That's the right word. How are you getting along with your accountant?"

"Oh, he's amazing! I still don't know how I found him, but he's just so good at this! I just don't have a head for the numbers, All I really want to do is help people."

"Sometimes, the right person finds the right person," Asami replied neutrally.

"How's Korra? I haven't had the chance to talk to her since I got back."

"Korra is doing fine."

"Oh, there it is."

Asami blinked, raising an eyebrow. "There what is?"

"You get this little smile when you say her name. It's kind of like me with Opal." Bolin demonstrated with the absolutely most dopey, over the top smile he could muster.

It made Asami laugh so hard she had to cover her mouth. "I _don't_ look like that. Seriously, Bolin. She's doing fine. I think she's getting a little stir-crazy though. Helping out at the dam was the most action we've had in a year. I've missed doing that kind of stuff, and I know she has, too."

"When I was in the Earth Republic, there were rumors of a drought in the southeast. People are blaming it on spirits."

Rubbing her chin, Asami replied, "I'll bring it up with her. Might be something we could go check out, if it really is an upset spirit."

"Let me know? I'll drag Mako away from the city if I have to bribe Beifong myself."

"Bolin, Chief Beifong would toss him onto our airship personally if it meant he took a few days off of work."

Bolin's laughter joined hers, and Asami settled back in her chair, smiling at her friend. "I'm glad your back. How are things going between you and Opal?"

The man's face lit up like the spirit portal. "Oh. Oh it's just going great, you know? We had dinner when I got back last night since she couldn't go with me because she had some airbender stuff to do at one of the temples, and it was kind of romantic. Then we fed the turtle ducks, and she proposed, and after that we got sweet rolls from this cart and I ate so much I threw up."

"Uh, back up a little there." Both of Asami's eyebrows had retreated into her hairline. "Opal proposed? ...aren't you already married?"

"Yeah." Bolin waved a hand. "But it was this quick thing and not everyone was there and she wanted to do this vow renewal thing that her mom and dad did last year and then I thought we could do it right this time!"

Asami smiled, reaching over and putting her hand on Bolin's shoulder. "I think that sounds like a great idea, Bolin. I'm behind you one hundred percent!" She laughed when he pumped both of his fists in the air and it reminded her of some of the better times in their lives. When he'd found out she and Korra were dating, or when Opal had proposed to him the _first_ time. It only made a good day even better.

"Asami, you're the best."

"Well, I certainly try." She winked, pushing her hair back over her shoulder. Before she could say anything else, a waiter approached the table.

"Mrs. Sato?"

She turned towards him, still smiling. "How can I help you?"

"There's a call for you. She said she was your assistant and she'd knew you'd be here today. She said it was very urgent."

Asami stood slowly. "I'm sorry about using your phone, but thank you."

"Oh, it's quite all right." The man laughed. "This way."

"I'll be right back."

Bolin gave her a thumbs up, and she turned to follow the waiter into the back. She nodded at the chef and she smiled back. "Ilara, how are you?"

"Pretty good, Mrs. Sato. Did you enjoy your dumplings?"

"Perfect, as always." The situation was too urgent to spend time catching up. Asami smiled apologetically and into the little office where the phone was waiting. She picked it up. "Hello, Jia? What's going on?"

"Ma'am, we need you back at the office as soon as possible." Asami heard papers rustling on the other end. Jia sounded calm, but that didn't mean anything.

The delay sent Asami's stomach into free fall. "What's wrong?"

"The government is suing us."

Asami punched the table, then winced and shook out her hand. " _For what_?!"

"Anti-competitive practices." Her assistant took a moment to let that sink in, before she dropped the real bomb. "Asami, they want to break Future Industries up."


	4. Flashes Bright

Howling wind brought Asami out of a light sleep. Her head was groggy. It had taken too long to fall asleep from all her worry about her company, but what she noticed was how _cold_ it was. Their bedroom was frigid, snow whirling around in a minicylone with Korra at its center. She sighed deeply through chattering teeth and bundled their comforter around her body before touching her feet to the icy floor. At least this time there wasn't anything set aflame. Nightmares happened, if infrequently now, byt they didn't usually involve the Avatar State. The last time they had, Korra had felt like it was a premonition.

Cautiously, she approached her wife. Asami had to shed the comforter to get close enough to touch her, but when she did, Korra snapped out of it. Her eyes cleared, and she took in Asami's shivering form before enveloping her arms around her. "I dreamed you died again. Stabbed through the back."

"I'll keep one eye behind me." She buried her face into Korra's chest, letting her woman hold her protectively. There was no plea to stay home, no request to be careful. Asami wouldn't stay home, and she would _be_ careful. But for a few minutes as the room warmed back up, she let her presence comfort her wife.

"You better," Korra said, finally. The words took some effort on her part. She peeled herself off of Asami.

"Maybe it's that false Avatar," Asami suggested. She watched Korra water bend the snow out the window. "Triggering something subconsciously. It's been so long since you had that dream. Been awhile since you had any nightmare at all."

"Jinora says it's impossible, but she was there. She saw it just like I did."

Asami took Korra's hand and led her out of the room. "Let me make us some tea." She was still freezing, and it would help calm both their nerves.

Korra smiled fondly. "You're so sweet."

"So you keep telling me." Once in the kitchen, Asami set to work. She felt Korra's eyes on her the whole time, but rather than making her feel warm, it made her feel nervous. She set out their cups and poured the tea before sitting across from Korra. "You don't have to keep staring at me like you'll never see me again."

Except Korra felt as though she needed to look at Asami like that. Every day, because some day one or the other of them might not come home alive. An accident at a plant, a disaster that Korra didn't survive, or someone targetting them because of who they were and what they did. "I think about it, sometimes. About Katara being all alone for so long. What that would feel like for me. And I already know how much it can hurt you." She wrapped her hands around her teacup. "My life is more balanced than it's ever been but sometimes I just can't shake that fear."

"Korra, I take your dreams seriously. I know with Avatar stuff that a lot of it goes beyond the physical. This could be a vision. But visions don't always show the full picture. Sometimes, you only get part of the story."

"You sound like Jinora."

Her own teacup halfway to her mouth, Asami replied. "That's because I've talked to her about this. It..scared me, the first time. I wanted to know how serious it really was."

"And I wasn't enough?" Korra set her tea back down, unsure on if she felt angry or hurt.

"Of course you're enough!" Asami put her hands over Korra's. "But you're also really close to the situation and I wanted to hear it from someone who wasn't as emotionally involved. I wanted to know more about how all that worked. I thought maybe I could take it apart and put it all back together in my mind and maybe I'd understand it better."

Korra looked appeased, and Asami pulled her hands back.

"I suppose I should talk with Jinora. Maybe she or her dad have learned something." Korra finished her tea and pushed back from the table. "It has to be faked."

"I didn't see it so I can't tell you if she was using some kind of technology."

Korra could see Asami that _that look_ into her eyes. The one where she started brainstorming ideas and how things worked. She started to pull her hair back into a pony-tail. "She _looked_ like she had fire bender ancestry."

"Doesn't mean too much. Maybe she was one of the airbenders from Harmonic Convergance. I could build a rudimentary fire thrower with the right parts. Or a special fan to shoot out air." Asami rubbed her chin. "Earth and water would be harder…"

Korra walked around the table. She hugged Asami from behind, and the inventor sank back into her arms. "If you can figure out how to do any of that, let me know right away."

"It's kind of what I do." Asami turned around. "Korra, before you go, there's something I need to tell you. It happened yesterday, but with what else happened I didn't want to bring it up."

Folding her arms and stepping back, Korra waited for Asami to continue.

"Future Industries is being sued. They say we're too big, that we're squelching competition." Just saying it left a sour taste in Asami's mouth. It was insulting. After everything she'd done for the city, for the Republic, after all the new conveniences and improvements in day to day living, this was how they repaid her?

"Who is? I'll go teach them a thing or two."

"Korra, you can't fight this your way." The thought was nice. Asami imagined Korra storming in all fire and brimstone. "I'll have to fight the President's office in the courts."

"The presid… the _United Republic_ is suing you?!" Korra turned and glared in the general direction of the government building. "I'm going to have words with her."

"Korra."

I can't believe I _voted_ for that jerk!" She balled her hand up into a fist.

"Korra, no."

Korra looked back at Asami, widening her eyes and puffing out her lower lip. "I just want to have a couple little words with her. While in the Avatar State."

Asami covered her mouth and nose with her hands and laughed into them. "I don't think intimidating the President will help with my case, but I love you for offering it." She dropped her hands to her sides, giving Korra an imploring look..

The Avatar sighed. "Okay. Okay. I won't go wreck the joint. But Asami….what if they're right?" Korra hated to say it, but knew it had to be said.

Was Future Industries too big? Asami had had that thought, too. She shook her head. "I don't know. That's something I need to talk over with my people. But all I've ever wanted to do with my company is make the world better for people."

Korra smiled ruefully. "Well, how many times have we seen where people either go too far to make the world a better place?"

"I don't think I like what you're insinuating."

Wincing, Korra held up a hand. "Asami, what I mean is, people don't adapt well to change. We've both seen this too many times to count. Even when someone isn't going to an extreme, people can still react as though you are."

"You almost sound like Tenzin."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good thing."

Laughing with relief, Korra replied, "Just don't tell him that, I'll never hear the end of it."

Korra took her glider to Air Temple Island. Though most of the airbenders had taken to the habit of wearing their glider suits most of the time, it was something that Korra had never really adapted to. While it was a marvelous piece of engineering and useful, she reserved it for when she left the city. Asami kept coming up with improvements, hoping to find a design that meshed better with multiple bending styles and elements, and Korra enjoyed testing them out, but so far it was too specialized for her to use often.

Benders and acolytes were going through stances when she landed. She watched them for a few minutes before jogging up into the temple proper. Korra hoped she was early enough to catch Tenzin or Jinora. There was supposed to be another rally today and she wanted the back up in case the false Avatar showed up again.

"Korra!"

"Hey!" Korra greeted Ikki with a hug. While Jinora had grown into a peer, Ikki still felt like someone Korra would always see like a little sister she needed to protect. She ruffled her hair. "Good morning to you, too."

"If you're looking for Dad or Jinora, Dad already left for the city and Jinora is about to."

"Guess I'll have to catch up with Pema later. Come on!" Korra took off at a run, then deployed her glider. She circled the island until she spotted Jinora at the docks. She and Ikki landed next to the Airbending Master.

"Almost thought I missed you!"

"You almost did." Jinora stretched her arms over her head. "Dad went to talk to the President, I was going to fly by Future Industries, then meet him at the protest."

"Oh! I'll come. Maybe, uhm." Ikki folded her arms, her face coloring. "Well maybe you'll need backup."

Korra smirked, leaning on her staff. "Sure, that's the only reason."

Jinora looked between them, her eyes a little squinty. "Don't tell me, _that's_ where your crush works?"

"I don't have a crush!" Ikki looked to Korra for help. She _knew_ that she couldn't keep anything from Jinora forever but she wasn't ready for this right now.

"Oh, you mean you _don't_ stare at Jia every time you're in the same room as her?" Korra raised both of her eyebrows, as if challenging Ikki to deny it.

Looking more closely at her sister, Jinora asked, "You like girls?"

"Well yeah? They're so awesome and pretty and smart and pretty…"

Jinora smiled. "Aunt Kya is going to be _ecstatic_."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We'll tell you when you're older," Korra chimed in.

"I'm twenty-one!" Ikki shoved Jinora's shoulder. "You're only three years older than me."

Korra laughed, putting her arm around Ikki. "Maybe next year?"

"Ooor since you and Asami are friends with Jia you could tell me more about her."

"Well. She's nice. Friendly. Pretty clever too. A really hard worker." Korra stared up at the sky. "Uhm. She likes the color green. She likes to tease us a lot." She lowered her head to look at Ikki again. There were a few other facts she knew about Jia that she couldn't quite share without permission. It had been hard enough for Jia to tell her and Asami. "Really, you should just talk to her. She won't bite."

Ikki worried at her lip. "Could you? For me? Talk, I mean."

Jinora rolled her eyes. "You know what, sis? I'll talk to her." Her face widened into a grin. "And let her know she has an _admirer_." Before Ikki could react, Jinora had opened the flaps on her suit and shot up on a burst of air.

"Aaah! No!" Ikki launched after her, leaving Korra standing on the docks, her hair blown undone from its tail.

"Who needs kids?" Korra mused aloud. "I get my fill just from Tenzin's!"

Sometimes, Mako thought that getting a new partner was a bit like babysitting. Yuki had been assigned to him for six months now, but even after all that time she still needed a guiding hand. But she'd be a good cop some day. If she lived long enough for it. Mako was going to kill her if she pried any more into his private life.

"I'm just saying, with that caterpillar-snake under your nose it's a miracle you can get dates, let alone landed a _princess_." She popped some fire flakes into her mouth, chewing loudly. As usual, her hair was in a messy bun. Her pale-green eyes were set into a dark face and fixated on Mako's mustache.

He huffed indignantly. "Azula _likes_ the stache. Says it gives me character."

"She's the only one who does." Yuki smiled knowingly. She'd been there when his friends had first seen it. The Avatar had doubled over laughing and Mrs. Sato had stared as though it had been moving. She was a little envious of the company he kept. Avatars and influential CEOs, Earth Kings and Fire Princesses. Mako's story was a bit of a legend on the police force. Before she'd been assigned to him, she'd heard people talking about this street rat, a borderline criminal himself, had gotten involved with Korra and into Chief Beifong's good graces. The youngest detective in Republic City history and if the rumors were true, soon to be the first Police Chief who wasn't a Beifong.

"Wu liked it too," He muttered, and stretched the fingers on his left hand. He wore a stylish black glove, and the leather creaked as he clenched and unclenched his hand into a fist.

"Uh oh," Yuki said.

"What?"

"Every time your arm bothers you like that, something happens."

Looking at his hand, then at his partner, Mako shook his head. "That's crazy."

"No no no, bear with me here." Yuki punctuated each word with her hands. "My first day on the job, when we busted the New Agni Kais. You did that thing with your hand and five minutes later we walked into a room filled with fifteen fire benders. And then a month after that when we were assigned to King Wu's protection detail for President Tuyin's inauguration you complained about your arm aching and we had a bomb threat. And then-"

"Yuki, my arm does _not_ predict trouble." He peeled the glove off, inspecting the black lines and grey patches of skin.

"What did it feel like? Was it anything like getting hit with an electric glove?" Yuki had been just a kid during Kuvira's invasion. Her family hadn't evacuated in time and had emerged from the rubble of their home to see the city in ruins. The _thrum_ of the spirit cannon haunted her nightmares for years, but Avatar Korra and her friends had become her heroes. She still couldn't believe she was _Mako's_ partner.

"Worse, much worse."

"Sir, you're one tough bastard." With the addition of non-benders like Yuki to the police forces, they had started to employ gloves or batons to give them a more equal footing when dealing with bender criminals. As part of training, every officer, without exception, had to be subjected to at least one charge.

The irony was not lost on anyone who'd fought during the revolution.

The car's radio blared to life. " _Attention all officers. Major disturbance at the anti-registration rally. All units respond to the scene!"_

"Don't even say it." Mako pulled his glove back on and reached for the radio. "This is Officer Mako, we're on our way."

When they reached the rally, part of the stage was on fire and many of the protestors had fled. On stage, a woman was fending off two police officers. Mako climbed out of the car as she shot fire then air at them. "That's _not_ Korra."

Pulling her electric glove out of a compartment in the dash, Yuki quickly joined him. She swallowed her fear. "What do we do?"

Mako cracked his knuckles. "I'll play keep away, you see if you can get behind her and knock her out."

With a short nod, Yuki darted to the side, circling around a building to flank the "Avatar". Mako rushed to the stage, sending a scorching blast between the woman and one of the other officers. She turned towards him, and he dodged to the side to dodge a blast of water. The motion took him right into her fire, but he gained control of it and sent it right back at her.

"You're good, I'll give you that, but I've fought better." He shifted into a defensive stance on the stage, the woman several feet away. "You're under arrest for disrupting the peace."

"The only peace is a false one." She smirked at him, lifting her hand and challenging him with it. "As long as the old order exists, there will always be war, always be suffering."

"If you're trying to claim you're not violent, I think you need to take a good hard look at yourself."

She shook her head. "Think of a fire in the forest clearing the rotting wood. New growth can't exist without the destruction of the old."

Electricity crackled as she moved her arm in a circle in front of her. Mako immediately switched stances. Lightning flashed between them, then shot up into the sky.

Yuki was blinded by the flash. When her vision cleared, Mako lay on his back on stage, and the woman was standing over him. She vaulted onto the stage, sprinting towards the false Avatar. The woman turned, blocking the first of Yuki's punches. Yuki dodged left, hitting the woman with a jab that made her arm go limp. Mako wondered where she'd learned that move, but he'd worry about that later. Yuki punched the false Avatar in the stomach and set off her glove. The shock blasted the woman off the stage. Turning towards Mako, Yuki started to move, but he pushed himself up. "Make sure she's down!"

"Yes sir!" She hopped down, moving towards where she'd seen the woman land, but there was no one there.

"No way." The setting on her glove should have knocked the woman out for a good ten minutes, and she double checked it. Her attention diverted, Yuki didn't see the attack coming. Something hit her in the head in the head, and she stumbled. Picking herself up, she looked around for her assailant. Maybe it was the head blow, maybe her eyes were still hurting from the flash of lighting, but Yuki swore she saw double just before the false Avatar brought the stage down on top of her.

 ** _(AN: Vision referenced happened in the fic Morning Rituals.)_**


	5. Many Meetings

Mako watched Korra as the Avatar sulked into her drink. His own mind was distracted, and he wished he could take a nap. Most of the night before had been spent making sure his partner was okay, interviewing witnesses, and filling in Beifong. And that didn't include the paperwork. Their lunch was a much needed boost of energy.

He still didn't know what to think about Yuki using a chi-blocking move and she wasn't awake to ask. There'd been _some_ talk of teaching the police the techniques but there was understandable resistance on the part of the bender population. Mako had suggested training bending police to resist chi-blockers, but nothing had come of that either.

"Nothing seemed weird to you?" Korra asked, finally.

"You mean aside from someone who isn't you bending multiple elements?" Mako rubbed his jaw, scratching at the stubble there and thinking back to the day before. "Her form was pretty good. But something seemed a little off about it. I'd have to see her in action again to know for sure but except for her firebending, her forms were...basic." Her firebending though. That had been real lightning. Her firebending was _good_.

"Wish we'd gotten a name. Something, _anything_ to go by."

"Amaya."

"What?" Korra sat up straighter, focusing her attention on Mako.

"One of the protesters said they knew her. Quiet girl, he said. Named Amaya. We talked to a few more people, she's only been in the city a few weeks. She goes into a protest, riles up trouble. But the past few days have escalated much faster and more violently than most of the people attending are comfortable with."

"The wound from Amon is only barely scabbing over," Korra pointed out. "No one wants to reopen it, but they don't want to just sit and take it."

Mako shrugged a shoulder, Amaya's words coming back to him. "It just feels like dry tinder and Amaya is the spark that'll start a new fire."

Groaning, Korra sat back against the seat of the booth. "I'm going to have to get ahead of this somehow. I've got an appointment with the President tomorrow. If I can convince her to scuttle her plan, or at least put it up for public review, that might go a long way to calming people down. I figure if I don't go barging in there she might actually listen."

"I don't know, maybe." Mako thought it over. He talked to the beat cops almost every day. Listened to what they saw and the mood of the city. He sometimes caught patterns, and he had a general feeling of unease. "People were happy to have public figures to complain to. For all Raiko's faults, he did tend to listen to what the people were saying."

"The polls, you mean."

"Well, yeah, but the only protests he saw were against the Spirit Wilds. But since Tuyin came to office there's been one nearly every week. Like there's a pattern there but I can't quite make sense of it."

Korra trusted Mako's gut instincts. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "Try to make sense of it before whatever it is bites us in the ass."

"Duly noted. I'm beginning to wonder if we need to make a change to the system again. The Earth Republic has an elected council answering to the Prime Minister. That way power isn't controlled by any one person like it was with the monarchy and Kuvira."

"Councils never listen," Korra muttered.

"If they're elected by the people they'd have to, right?"

"Maybe." Korra fell silent for a moment, turning everything over in her head. She kept coming back to the woman at the protest. "This fake Avatar has to be part of it _some_ how. Where did she come from? How is she even bending all the elements?" It still blew Korra's mind. "You don't think it has something to do with the Spirit Portal? I mean, Harmonic Convergence brought back the Airbenders. Maybe opening a new portal caused a shift in the world's balance."

"I'm just a cop, but that makes about as much sense as anything else. Maybe when Yuki wakes up she'll be able to tell us more."

"How is she?" Korra's brow furrowed with concern.

"She'll live, but she'll be off the beat for a month or so." Mako cracked his neck, then stifled a yawn. "Going to make it a challenge before the Chief retires. She wants this case cracked before then."

The rumors were true, then. Korra couldn't imagine Republic City without Lin Beifong as Chief of Police. "What do you think she'll do after she retires? Move to Zaofu?"

"Not in ten thousand years." He couldn't help but laugh. "I don't know. I don't think retirement will suit her. It think she's getting a lot of pressure from the new President's office. They want new blood, for a new police force."

"It's already changed a lot."

"Maybe it hasn't changed enough." Frowning, Mako leaned forward and lowered his voice. "There's still a lot of cronyism among some of the older officers. I've reported what I can, but they've gotten very good at avoiding critical eyes."

That sounded serious. "What would you do if you were Chief?"

"Me? Maybe someday, but there are a dozen officers ahead of me."

"That's not what I asked, Mako."

"I guess…" He sat back, rubbing his neck and looking out of sorts. His expression sobered. "I'd start by cleaning up. Force retirement on those who need to go, expand recruitment, improve on benefits and pay. I know it would be a lot of changes fast and there'd be some resistance, but sometimes you just have to rip away the blood sucking leeches, you know?"

Korra had chosen the exact wrong moment to start eating her noodles, because she started to choke. "Like the advice you gave to your brother when we were all young and very stupid?"

Mako stiffened, his face dropping. He still couldn't believe Bolin had ever brought that up to Korra and Asami. Even if he _could_ believe that Korra _would_ occasionally bring it up to rub his face in it since Asami never did.

"Face it, Mako, you walked into it that time." She punched his shoulder. "But I think it's appropriate in this case. A lot of those people are definitely leeches and need to go."

"But I'm not the Chief." He rubbed his shoulder, then rested his hands on the table. There was a considering look in his eyes, like there was ambition there that he wasn't quite ready to admit to. "Yet."

"Chief Mako. You might have to get rid of the stache if you get promoted. No one will take you seriously."

Korra had an impish look on her face, and Mako thought she was trying to lighten the mood. He knew her well enough by now to know when something had her nervous or scared, and this thing with that fake Avatar had to have her rattled. It had _him_ rattled. His partner was in the hospital. Other people could get hurt if this all escalated.

The sound of someone calling Korra's name prevented him from replying. He looked up as Asami came into the restaurant, trailed by Jinora, Ikki and Jia. She greeted Korra with a kiss after slipping into the booth, and Mako scooted over to let Jinora and Jia sit next to him. He went right into business mode. "Got any news?"

Asami shook her head. "We haven't figured out a thing."

"The only person ever recorded to have controlled all four elements is the Avatar," Jinora supplied. She leaned forward, brushing bangs out of her face with an annoyed gesture. "I even paid a visit to Wan Shi Tong, but he said that was impossible. I traded some information Asami gave me on propulsion and dug around in the library for a few hours anyway, but I came up empty."

Korra nudged Asami under the table with her foot as she settled back against the booth. "Raava has no idea either."

"We did some experiments at Future Industries." Asami pulled some folded papers out of her vest pocket. Korra moved her and Mako's plates as Asami spread the papers out on the table. "Fire was easy to generate." She showed them on some diagrams. "You need a fuel source, air, and a spark. The hard part was actually controlling it. I was able to use a similar system to moving the fuel around to move water around and create blasts of water, but nothing as elegant as waterbending."

"What about air?" Korra asked.

"We use compressed air to inflate Satomobile tires, and to control some systems in airships." Asami tapped another diagram. "Blasting air is easy. Control is harder but I had an idea for redirecting air with tubes under clothing. It lacks finesse."

"You need an airbender for finesse," Jinora said. She glanced around the table, and caught Jia looking at her sister for all of two seconds before realizing she was being watched.

Mako had been listening with one ear, while watching the others. He saw the way Jia had glanced at Ikki, and it was obvious that Ikki couldn't tear her eyes from her. He was pretty sure Korra was trying to play footsie with Asami. He looked down and studied the diagrams on the table. "What about Earth?".

Asami shook her head. "Everything I could think of required huge machinery and none of it would move rocks through the air."

"She had too fine a control over fire, but I didn't see her do anything fancy with air besides just blasting it. That could mean a machine, or she could just not be very good at airbending." Korra flashed back to her own airbending training, and the years she'd spent truly mastering the element.

"She's a natural firebender," Mako agreed. "That was firebender lightning she shot at me."

"She made water whips too," Jinora pointed out. She didn't particularly want to point that out, but nothing in Asami's diagrams hinted that that level of control was possible without a bender.

Jia spoke up next. "What if it has something to do with Vaatu and Harmonic Convergence? Like a reincarnated evil Avatar?"

The temperature around the table seemed to drop several degrees. Ikki looked between everyone. "That's...not possible is it?"

"No." Korra shook her head. "It's not. Vaatu was absorbed into Raava. We'd know in a heartbeat if he'd escaped."

"And you're sure about that?" It wasn't the first time Mako had questioned the Avatar and it wouldn't be the last time, but the question didn't bother Korra.

"Positive. He's so weak he won't be a problem for thousands of years."

Jinora frowned. "Remind me to write that down somewhere so that future Avatars don't accidentally end up blindsided again."

"I wish Katara were still alive. She'd probably have some ideas, or some advice." Korra leaned in as Asami put an arm around her. "I miss her."

"She's happy with grandpa." Jinora reached across the table to squeeze Korra's hand. The wound was still a little fresh, and she didn't know when things would start to feel normal again. She didn't know if she wanted to ever feel normal without Gran Gran.

"What about Lord Zuko?" Asami suggested. "Other than Katara no one was closer to Aang, and I'm sure he's seen some really strange things in his life."

"That's a great idea!" Korra planted a wet kiss on Asami's cheek. "Mako, think you could have your girlfriend help us? I'm sure she'd be willing to help, it's Avatar business after all."

While she was more than just a way to contact people, Mako knew she wouldn't object. "Azula would probably have a better idea of where he is than any of us. I'll ask her when I call her tonight. She left to visit with her mother yesterday."

Jia pulled out her pocket watch and tapped it to get Asami's attention. "We need to get back and meet with the lawyer, ma'am."

Korra turned her head to Asami, a worried look on her face. "Let me know how that goes, okay?"

"Don't worry about it, you've got more important things to worry about than my business problems." Asami slid out of the booth after Ikki. She held out her hand to help Korra up, then leaned into her wife

"Your problems are my problems," Korra promised her. "Like I told Mako, I've got an appointment with the president tomorrow and I'm not just going to talk about this Amaya person."

Asami waved her hand, then rested it on Korra's arm, "Just be careful about that, okay? I don't want her to think I'm sending the Avatar to threaten her. It might make her dig her heels in more."

"I'll be gentle, promise." She flexed her arm under Asami's hand, grinning when Asami's cheeks colored.

Stepping away, Asami guided everyone out of the restaurant. She caught Jia by the shoulder. "Jia, why don't you go ahead. I won't be long, but there's something I need to show Korra first."

Jia nodded and leaned in, speaking softly in Asami's ear. Korra watched them, then glanced at Mako and the others. Ikki was wringing her hands and staring at Jia with such open admiration that it was impossible to not feel for her.

She nudged Ikki. "Why don't you go ask her out for dinner."

"What?" Ikki jumped, turning to look at Korra with an incredulous expression. "I can't do that!"

"Yes, you can." Korra put her arm around Ikki's shoulders. Maybe she couldn't fix the whole false Avatar thing right away, but she could at least help with this. "You _do_ remember how long Asami and me circled each other, right? Do you really want to wait years not knowing?"

"But if she says no…I mean she's so busy."

"Then you don't have to waste time not knowing," Korra pointed out. She glanced at Mako to back her up.

Sighing softly, Mako shook his head. "When I asked Azula, she said she was too busy. The second time, she said yes."

"See? It works out." Korra started to walk Ikki towards Jia and Asami. Asami looked at Korra, then at Ikki and chuckled.

"Uhm…" Ikki felt suddenly eleven again. She couldn't quite look at Jia without turning several shades of red, but she tried. "Doyouwanttogetdinnertomorrow?"

"I'd love to." Jia only hesitated a few seconds, recovering from what really shouldn't have been a surprise. Ikki's crush was as obvious as an elephant-snake in the room. She smiled at Ikki, clasping her hands in front of herself and trying to ignore the wink Asami gave her. "Would five work?"

Ikki gaped, mouth open and shoulders stiff. She hadn't expected it to be that easy, and she didn't have a ready response. Jinora nudged her and whispered. "Say yes!"

Startled, she barked out. "Yes!"

"I'll see you then." Jia squeezed Ikki's shoulder, then took Korra's arm and walked with her away from the stunned young woman. Once far enough away, she stopped them. Her voice was uncharacteristically shaky. "I hate to ask you this, but could you tell her? About me?"

"Jia, I'm not entirely sure where to begin." Korra masked her surprised. Under Jia's cool exterior she could see exposed nerves.

"The same way I told you. How my spirit wound up in a boy's body instead of a girl's." Jia's gaze slid over to Ikki. "I just… I don't know if I can handle seeing her reaction."

Korra held up a finger. "Okay, first, I don't think it'll change how she thinks about you. You're still a woman. And I _really_ think that if you want her to know you need to tell her yourself. Sure, I could tell her about Avatars Chinatsu and Gopan and some of the others but it'll be better to hear it from you. There's so much -" She twirled her hands in the air between them- " _nuance_."

Looking pensive, Jia rubbed her thumb over her knuckles, applying pressure to each in turn. She stole a look at Asami. "When I told Mimi, I was terrified. That I'd lose her as a friend. That I'd lose my _job_. My home. And I knew her, I knew she isn't the kind of person that would do anything like that, but I was still scared of her reaction. But she was so… _nice_." She squeezed her fingers. "She wanted to understand so that she could be there for me. I … cried on her. You were easier to tell. But this… I've never actually gone on a date? "

Jia was probably the only person who could get away with that nickname for Asami. Korra shook her head. "I've gotten to watch how she's grown up. She's got a lot of her mother in her, and she's completely head over heels for you." She took Jia's hands, stopping her before she actually started wringing them. "It'll be okay. And you _don't_ have to tell her until you're ready. Got it?"

"Got it." Jia smoothed the front of her skirt. "I'll think about it tonight." She turned to walk back to the office, nodding at Asami as she passed.

"Is she okay?" Asami asked, once Korra had joined her.

"She wanted me to tell Ikki."

"Will you?"

"No, she's thinking about doing it herself."

Asami made a mental note to offer her shoulder later. "I think they'll be fine. Now there's something I want to show you."

Korra walked over to where Mako, Jinora and Ikki were standing. "Yeah? What do you have?"

Not waiting for a word, Asami fell into an Earthbending stance. She lifted her arms, and part of the ground rose in front of her.

 _ **(AN: It was important to me that Jia's identity be described in text and not simply be a word of god after thought, so I hope I succeeded. Some of the terms we're used to with regard to gender and sexuality don't really exist in the Avatar world. While Jia's explanation is a very simple one and part of how she's come to understand herself, it's of course much more complex than that, which Korra tried to acknowledge.)**_


	6. The Calm Before the Storm

Asami was Earthbending. Korra's mind struggled to wrap around this. Airbending she could almost understand, every once in awhile a new airbender showed up at the temple, but _Earthbending_? Korra let out a choked sound. " _How?!_ "

"Just a little bit of mover misdirection." Bolin stepped out from behind a Satomobile, and lowered the chunk of Earth back to the ground. "A little razzle dazzle, and everyone is looking at Asami and presto!" He gestured exuberantly at Asami, "Instant Earthbender!"

"You set that up just to see the looks on our faces, didn't you bro." Mako put an arm around Bolin and squeezed. "You know, this has to be how that woman was Earthbending. Work with someone who can and who can teach her the stances, and just like Bolin said, instant Earthbender."

Korra was still gaping at her wife, but that only lasted another few moments before she expertly recovered. "I don't know why I was so prepared for that to be true."

"Wishful thinking?" Asami looped her arm around Korra's shoulders, and the Avatar shook her head.

"No, nothing like that. I like you just the way you are, but with everything that's been happening lately I honestly blinded myself. Like I could actually believe it was true." That was probably what Amaya was counting on. Misdirection, using peoples' own perceptions against them. Magic tricks.

"So assuming she's an actual Firebender, she's probably got an Earthbender working with her. Maybe even a Waterbender too," Mako suggested. "She could be using technology to replicate airbending."

Asami chimed in, "That's my going theory."

Jinora frowned, "I don't think we can entirely rule out the possibility that this is all real."

With all eyes suddenly on her, Jinora cleared her throat. "We still don't know the full effect of the third Spirit Portal opening, especially so soon after Harmonic Convergence. Maybe part of the world realigning and settling into a new balance is another person controlling multiple elements." She gestured at Bolin. "Bolin can lavabend. How much of that is actually Earthbending and how much of that is … heat from fire?"

Bolin opened and closed his mouth for a few moments, then shrugged.

"In the past hundred years, we've seen an increasing number of advanced bending styles, and more people using them. Lightning and metal bending went from a select few to almost common place. Earthbenders and Firebenders coming from the same family, Airbenders coming from every Nation. It's like all the nations intermingling is causing a sea change, and then you throw technology and the spirits on top of all of that..." Jinora paused to catch her breath. She'd been thinking more and more lately about the state of bending in the world. "Maybe some day everyone will have bending. Or no one will because we won't need it any more."

An awkward silence fell over the group. Korra folded her arms, thinking of a time far in the future and wondering if the Avatar would be needed in either of those worlds, and if so, what form that need would take.

Mako's thoughts turned more to the here and now. "If she can really bend all the elements, then how are we going to be able to contain her when we catch her?"

"Korra can just take her bending away."

Ikki's comment startled Korra out of her thoughts. She held up her hands palm out and shook her head. "No. No way. I'm not taking anyone's bending away."

"Korra, it sounded like she wanted to start a war-"

She shook her head again, interrupting Mako. "No. I don't care how evil she is, if she's even evil. Taking away someone's bending is a terrible punishment. Look how that turned out with Yakone? I'm not going to do it, and that's final." They hadn't had it happen to them. They didn't understand. But taking away bending was a last resort and one that Korra didn't think she could ever do.

Asami put her hand on Korra's shoulder and squeezed. "Okay, that's off the table then. I'll go back to the drawing board and figure out the technology. I'm a little peeved that I didn't come up with it first."

"Sometimes you have to look at something you know you can do, and ask yourself if you _should_ do it," Korra pointed out.

"Point taken." Asami leaned in to give Korra a kiss on the cheek. She'd spent too much time on this with a lawsuit hanging over her head, and she needed to get back anyway. "I need to head back to the office, I'll call you if anything comes up."

"We should visit my partner, she should be awake by now and maybe she'll have some more information."

Korra nodded at Mako. "Great! Bolin, Ikki, Jinora. You guys coming or do you need to be elsewhere?"

"I need to do some more research," Jinora said. "Kai is back tonight and I was going to make him help me."

"Just make sure dad doesn't catch him "helping" you," Ikki said, forming quotes with her fingers. "The vein in his head might explode."

"Ikki!"

Ikki stuck her tongue out. "I need to call Opal, maybe she has some dating advice."

"Oooh." Bolin put his arm around Ikki. "Let Bolin help you with that, too! I've got all kinds of advice on how I wooe'd the lovely Opal."

He started to lead Ikki away, and the girl looked back at the others with a helpless expression on her face.

Korra mouthed the words 'don't listen to a word he says' at her, then jerked her thumb in the general direction of the hospital. "Guess it's just you and me, Captain Mustache. Lets get going."

The hospital was a few blocks away and they walked in companionable silence. Mako's mind was on the case (it often was on cases), and Korra was waging an internal debate. The very idea of removing someone's bending was anathema to her. She'd experienced it herself, she'd seen the way it had almost destroyed some of the people it had happened to. If Aang hadn't broken through to her, she might not be alive today.

Could she have done it to someone like Ozai? Found that third way that Avatar Aang had, a way to end the conflict without violence and actually used it? Korra had never faced someone like Ozai. Insanely powerful and sadistic enough try to burn an entire continent to ash? She wasn't Aang, she wouldn't have looked for a non-violent means and unlike Kuvira Ozai couldn't be reasoned with.

She could have killed him in battle, but she had never done that before and she never really felt like her Uncle counted for that. He'd been hopped up on Vaatu and she'd been in a kind of spirit form. There was a disconnect there that she had never been able to shake.

While she hadn't fought a major battle in years, she'd kept up her training and she was stronger than ever, but that didn't always translate into an actual fight.

"Tell me again what Amaya told you?" She shot a glance over at her old friend.

Mako's mustache twitched and he sighed. "She claimed to be a fire cleansing a forest. That peace is a lie and new growth can't exist without clearing out the old."

Korra folded her arms and stopped in front of the hospital. "Taking down the old order, days of reckoning….You know who that sounds like, don't you?"

"I wish I didn't." Zaheer's name hung unsaid between them as Mako led Korra through the hospital. The very real prospect of a resurgent Red Lotus weighed heavily on Korra's mind and she had the uncomfortable thought that she might actually have to talk to the bastard again. He couldn't do anything to hurt her, but that didn't mean she wanted to see him. And that was assuming he'd give them any information to begin with. He'd probably just taunt her.

Yuki was on the second floor, and sitting up when they arrived. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders and she had bandages around her head. Her leg was in a sling. Her smile was sheepish and she snapped a salute at Mako. "Sir, I'm sorry to be laying down on the job."

"You got pretty badly hurt, you earned some rest." Mako and Korra sat on opposite sides of Yuki's bed, and Mako leaned forward. "But I'm going to need to disturb it for a few minutes. What do you remember after you jumped off of the platform?"

"She wasn't there. I jumped down and she wasn't there. I was double checking my glove when I was attacked from behind." She rubbed the back of her head. "And the crazy thing, I thought I saw two of them. Like I was seeing double. And then _wham_ the whole stage came down."

"Double?" Korra asked. "Like you saw her twice?"

"Like there was two of her."

"Sisters," Mako mused. He brought his hand to his jaw and rubbed at his chin. "Firebender and Earthbender, like me and Bo."

"You mean, I wasn't seeing things?" Yuki looked between them. "Damn, I _knew_ that I'd hit her pretty good."

"Yeah, about that." Mako leaned back in his chair, folding his eyes and regarding her seriously. " _Chiblocking_?"

"Ahh… heh." Yuki leaned back against her pillow and hung her head. "I've been learning it on the side. My aunt was an Equalist. She served her time and she's reformed and she was never about the whole hurt all the benders thing, though!"

"A lot of people were misled by Amon," Korra assured her. "I'm not going to judge a person I never met."

"We're about do for our yearly debate on police chiblocking anyway." Mako pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We need to be able to handle Bender criminals when there's not another bender to help." Yuki looked at Korra. "What do you think?"

"I think that training non-bender cops to chiblock would cause a lot of people to be upset, but it's also for the best of intentions. The Chief would need to make sure there are rules and regulations in place and enforced on its use."

Mako nodded along as Korra spoke. "Yeah. Ten years ago I would have laughed at the idea."

"Me too."

"Ten years ago I was just a kid," Yuki offered. "And pro-benders were my heroes."

Korra laughed, "Thanks for making me feel old, Yuki. What did you think of the Fire Ferrets?"

Yuki ducked her head. "... I was a big fan of the Wolfbats. I had a poster of Tahno in my room."

"Traitor."

If Mako had been closer, Korra would have elbowed him. "Still a fan of him?"

"Of course! I have all his band's records!"

"He played at my wedding. We used to be major rivals but we've come to an understanding." Korra reached over and patted Yuki's shoulder. "Since you're a hero and all, injured in the line of duty, I'll see if I can talk him into dropping by."

"You are the _best_ Avatar ever!"

After leaving Yuki to rest and Mako to his work, Korra found herself with little to do. She tried to question some of the arrested protesters at the police station, but there were only a few left in custody and none of them really knew anything about this Amaya person. She then stopped by the scene of the crime, but there was nothing to go on and the police combing through the wreckage were irritatingly opaque when she asked them questions. Curiously, some of the President's personal security team were in the park. Whether they were observing or helping, she couldn't quite say, but they didn't _look_ like they were doing any work.

Deciding to work on a hunch, Korra flew on her glider to the President's office. The situation was growing too urgent to wait for the scheduled meeting, and maybe she could find some answers. They'd never spoken more than a few words to each other but she was hopeful since Jinora had told her that Tuyin was a fan of hers.

It was just after four when she landed. Many of the staff were finishing up her day, and she strode past the President's assistant. The man got to his feet. "What do you think you're doing?"

She jerked her thumb towards the door. "Is Tuyin in?"

"Yes, but-"

"Is she alone."

"Yes, but-"

"Good." She pushed the door open with a flourish.

President Tuyin was a short stick of a woman of Earth Kingdom descent. There was a mole above the left corner of her lip. She had large green eyes and her hair was dyed red as per the latest in Republic City fashion. Her glasses were oval and stylish, but every time Korra saw her she was reminded of a praying mantis - and she often looked at people she disapproved of as though they were prey.

Right at this moment, her eyes were closed and she sat at her desk as though deep in meditation. Her concentration broke as the door hinges creeked, and she looked at Korra with mild irritation. "Can I _help_ you, Avatar?"

"I think we need to talk about the false Avatar."

"You have an appointment with me tomorrow." President Tuyin clasped her hands on the desk in front of her, regarding Korra critically. "You may be the Avatar and have saved this city numerous times, but the world simply cannot run without order."

Korra felt herself bristling and had to regulate her breathing to calm herself down. "This is too important to wait. I don't believe she's working alone, and I believe she has access to some kind of technology that's helping her fake her bending, and-"

"And what proof do you have? How does she power these devices? Spirit energy? Something else?"

"We're still trying to figure that part out." Spirit energy. Now _there_ was a possibility. Spirit energy was still poorly understood and in the wake of Kuvira's disastrous use of it research had been strictly banned. Bans and restrictions wouldn't stop the Red Lotus, or really anyone who didn't care about laws and treaties.

"We?"

"My wife, Master Jinora, my friends on the police force." Korra folded her arms, meeting Tuyin's hard stare with one of her own.

Tuyin sighed, and sat back in her chair. "We can discuss this in more detail _tomorrow_ at the appointed time. Until then, perhaps you can continue to do your Avatar duties and leave this office in peace."

"Madame President," Korra started, but Tuyin cut her off.

"And if you're thinking about interfering in the legal matters between the United Republic and Future Industries, think again. Some things are in fact out of your jurisdiction."

Korra bristled, annoyed that the President had anticipated her next statement and even more irritated at it being shut down so quickly. Tuyin wanted to do everything by the book and in its appropriate place and time. Fine. In a tight, controlled voice, Korra replied. "Then I'll see you tomorrow." She turned on her heels and stormed out before she said something she might regret.

Hours later, and Korra was still fuming. Asami had barely gotten through the front door when her wife exploded. "The President has a stick so far up her-"

"Korra!" Asami took Korra by the wrists and made her sit down on a couch. It looked as though Korra had been pacing around the condo all afternoon. "Did you seriously visit the President?"

Blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face, Korra nodded. "I wanted to talk to her about Amaya, but she just wanted to wait until tomorrow."

Asami grimaced. "Yeah, Tuyin is a stickler for schedules. Jia has been running herself ragged trying to make sure we file the exact right forms at the exactly scheduled time. She swears up and down that any chance of winning this thing could vanish in a cloud of dust if we misspell a word somewhere."

Korra grunted, and folded her arms. "I hadn't even opened my mouth and she told me she wouldn't even discuss the case."

"She can't, legally." Asami cupped Korra's face. "And I appreciate you going to bat for me, but this is something I'm going to have to fight on my own."

"You always have my back, Asami, I just wanted to return the favor for once."

She shook her head. "You always have my back too. But this is different than dealing with some of the things we've faced in the past. We can't punch our way out of it. It's going to take months of work, months of talking and arguing in court. And the scary thing is I'm not entirely certain we're going to win."

"There has to be a way to get through this without having to sell off parts of your company."

"I have some ideas about that, if it doesn't look like it's going to go my way. But that can wait until tomorrow. Maybe we should go out to eat tonight." Asami glanced out the window. "It's a nice night, and maybe people seeing the Avatar relaxing might ease tensions."

"It might make them worse!" Korra got to her feet. "They could look at me and see me shrinking my duties, or being decadent, or whatever. Protests, and the Red Lotus is probably back, and I can't even do anything right now. It feels like we're waiting for disaster to happen."

Asami suddenly went deathly still, save for her nails digging into her palms. "The Red Lotus?"

"No. Yes. I don't _know_." Korra knelt in front of Asami and helped her unclench her hands. "The things Amaya said. Her agenda. It sounds so much like Zaheer that I'm not sure it's a coincidence. They disappeared off the map after we took down Zaheer."

"Why _now?_ It's been thirteen years." Asami swallowed her fear, and resolved to not let them _ever_ get ahold of Korra again. More than anything they'd ever faced, the Red Lotus was the one thing that still made her afraid. Not for herself, but for Korra. She'd nearly watched her die, and Korra had spent so long trying to rebuild herself. Some of that trauma would stay with her for the rest of her life.

"New president in the United Republic, new government in the Earth Republic, talks of reforms in the Water Tribe. Maybe all of that, maybe it's something else."

Asami pulled Korra up onto the couch with her, refusing to let her go. "Lets stay in tonight then."

"Sweetie, Zaheer isn't going to come bursting through the window and shout 'boo'." Korra folded Asami against her, resting her chin on the top of her wife's head. She wasn't as immediately afraid as Asami was. She'd spent the better part of the day coming to terms with the idea. "But lets stay in."

"Are you going to talk to him?"

Korra nodded her head as Asami pulled back to look at her. "I will. Not tomorrow, but soon. I need to know if he actually knows anything, or if this is some splinter group."

Unhappy about the idea, Asami still had to accept it. Wanting to think about something else, she pushed Korra back against the couch and straddled her. The worried look on Korra's face was quickly replaced by a big, goofy grin. It was the effect that Asami had been hoping for, and it helped push her own worries to the back of her mind. "Your day seems like it was as stressful as mine. I have some ideas on how we can counter that."

"Me too." Korra pulled Asami down by the lapel of her shirt, kissing her deeply. The tension ebbed out of her shoulders and Asami's body relaxed on top of hers. She got up, Asami still wrapped around her, and carried her to the bedroom.

She dropped Asami on the bed, then crawled on top of her. Asami's hair was halo'd around her head. Leaning down, she asked, "What do you want?"

"You." The word was loaded with a dozen possible meanings, but the roughness in Asami's voice and the desire in her eyes told Korra what she wanted to know. She kissed Asami's cheek, and then along her jaw line.

When her lips reached Asami's ears, she whispered. "So you _don't_ want to be able to walk tomorrow, right?"

Asami laughed breathlessly, "I'd like to see you try."

Korra was roused out of a sound sleep by an incessant buzzing sound. As sense returned to her, she vaguely began to put 'ringing' and the word 'phone' together. Cursing the very existence of the invention, she tried to roll out of bed to answer it, only for her feet to tangle in the sheets and send her crashing to the floor.

"Hello?"

She picked herself up as Asami answered. A comment about how early it was and if that person wanted snow in their kitchen died on her lips as she saw how quickly Asami had paled.

"Yes...yes. Take care of that, get aide and supplies on an airship immediately. Yes, I'll be going too, you're in charge while I'm gone." She hung up, running both her hands through her hair as she tried to process what she'd just heard. Her body started to shake.

"What happened?" Korra got to her feet and jogged around the end of the bed to reach Asami. Her stomach sank into her feet and she felt momentarily lightheaded as Asami's words sank in.

"There's been...there was an attack in the Fire Nation. A bombing. The Fire Lord is _dead_."


	7. Ash & Smoke

The worst part about growing old, Lord Zuko mused, was getting up in the middle of the night. Not that he really minded the night. He liked the night. It let him think. It made him contemplative. He leaned against a window on the second story of the palace, looking up at a moonless sky. He caught the sound of quiet footsteps, and he strained his eyes in the darkness to find the source. His bladder may be showing signs of age, but his hearing wasn't.

The scent of powder reached his nostrils, and then everything became heat and flame as an explosion lit up the night. An inferno rushed towards him and he caught the flame, dispensing it around him and into the sky. There was just so _much_ of it. Only seconds had passed but it felt like an eternity. And then his body failed him.

Pain blossomed along his arm, his chest tightening and he lost control of his fire as his breath failed him. Zuko fell to his knees, hand clutching at his heart. He feared for his daughter and granddaughter. For the Fire Nation. For the Avatar.

Voices talking quietly greeted him when he came back to the world. He could still smell the fire, the burnt cinders and an acrid smell, like bubbling fat and charcoal. Zuko had smelled burnt flesh before, but not like this.

He struggled to sit up. His limbs tingled and felt heavy. His vision was blurry and it felt like the smog had lodged itself deep into his lungs. Eventually he gave up trying to move. One of the voices said, "Lord Zuko is awake, fetch Princess Azula!"

Gradually, Zuko examined his surroundings. It was a building he didn't recognize. The sky outside the window was hazy, black smoke billowing in the distance.

"Grandfather!" Azula entered in a swish of scarlet robes. Zuko turned his head towards her as she knelt besides him. "The healers were afraid you would never wake up."

Zuko didn't have the energy to grab her hand when she took his. But he could speak. His voice was gravelly and weak. "How many have died? Where is your mother?" He coughed, and added. "Send the healers away. Tell them to help those who can be helped and not an old man with too many years behind him."

He knew the answer. He could read it in her eyes. In the way her reserve cracked, her voice wavering for just a moment. "Mother's gone. There were explosions all over the city. At least two hundred are dead, hundreds more are missing. Our soldiers have disarmed a dozen bombs, all of them with a red lotus painted on the sides."

His eyes closed and he took a shuddering breath. He couldn't let himself think about Izumi. A father should never outlive his child, though he doubted he'd live through the day anyway. Azula smiled tightly, squeezing her grandfather's hand between both of her own. "Republic City has aide on the way. Planes have already landed with what supplies they could carry. Avatar Korra is on the first airship."

A coughing fit wracked Zuko's lungs, and he could feel his heart beating erratically. Warn Korra, he wanted to say, but when he opened his eyes again, his vision swam and he thought he could see Mai. She'd always seemed to have his sister's eyes, but her face…. "You look so much like your grandmother. Azula, listen to me very…."

Zuko trailed off as his body was wracked by another fit. He dimly felt Azula's lips on his knuckles and once the fit had passed, he continued. "Your brother is a maverick. He'll need you to temper him. We need to get word to the other nations. Protect their leaders…Protect…" Another coughing fit left him dazed, and he looked puzzled for a moment. As though he no longer remembered where he was or what he was going to say. Protect the Avatar. Protect the Avatar…Protect…. "Protect Aang."

Lord Zuko seemed to gaze towards forever as the last breath left his body. Azula sat there, the weight of losing most of her family in a single day pulling her heart down. There was nothing left of her mother to bury and her grandfather, the man who'd guided their nation into a new age, was gone.

She pulled a sheet over Zuko's head, then got to her feet. Outside, everything was still in chaos. On the hill, the palace lay in ruin. Smoke billowed throughout the city and the ground suddenly rocked as another explosion went off in the market district. The plaza was covered with the wounded, and the buildings surrounding it were filled with the people who were the worse off. It wrenched at her heart, it made her angry.

The most frustrating part of the attack was that no one could trace the attackers. Every time someone caught a glimpse of them they managed to melt away into the shadows. Whoever they were, they knew the city well.

Until her brother made it back to the Capitol, everyone had to look to her for guidance. She was already exhausted and covered in soot and ash, and it didn't look like things were going to calm down any time soon. She grabbed one soldier by her shoulder, "Find the captain of the guard, I need to speak with him."

"Yes, princess" She bowed stiffly, then took off at a sprint.

Azula clasped her hands together inside the sleeves of her royal robes, and walked at a brisk pace towards a section of the plaza where healers had some of the wounded. Most of the men and women here had been injured by flying debris. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

The healer was an elderly man, and he looked at Azula through tired eyes. "Yes, princess, if you think you can stomach it."

"Just tell me what to do."

"There are too many for us to take the time we'd need to sew these wounds shut. We need to cauterize them if we want to save as many people as we can, but I'm nearly spent."

Azula looked down at a boy on the ground, at how mangled his arm looked, then at the saw in the healer's gnarled hand. Her stomach churned. She knelt on the ground, placing one hand on the boy's forehead. He looked up at her with glazed eyes, and she gave him a reassuring smile before looking back at the healer. "I'm ready when you are."

She'd never understand why something like this had happened. Was it Karma, coming back to strike at innocents the way her great and great-great grandfathers had? At least there hadn't been any more explosions since the one shortly after her grandfather had passed, but she still hadn't gotten used to the screaming of the patients by the time the guard captain finally found her. She tucked her bloody hands into her sleeves to hide how much they were shaking as she rose to face him. Her voice was surprisingly steady. "Give me your report."

"We don't think there are any more bombs. One of my people reported an attack on the council building during the last explosion. Two of the council members were killed, the rest have been taken away to a secure location." He gestured towards her with one hand. "You should join them. You're an open target and if something were to happen to General Iroh the nation would fall to you."

Appreciating but ignoring his concern for her safety, she asked, "Any word from my brother?"

"He radioed in about ten minutes ago, his ship will arrive within the hour. Aide from Republic City will arrive within a few minutes."

"Thank you. Find someone who can help the healers here." She nodded her head towards the wounded. "I need to… " _Wash my hands_ "Meet the Avatar."

"By your command."

Hurrying away from the plaza, Azula found a fountain to wash her hands in. It wasn't really enough, but it would do for now. When she reached the docks, three airships had already arrived, and far in the distance she could see the United Forces fleet at full steam. She prayed that there were more healers.

Crews were unloading crates of medical supplies, and Fire Nation Soldiers were guiding Earthbenders towards the city to help clear rubble to reach survivors. Avatar Korra landed in a gust of air next to her. "Princess Azula. I'm so sorry about your mother."

Azula nodded stiffly in greeting. "Thank you, but right now we need to concentrate on the living. Several plazas have been commandeered for the wounded. There are hundreds still trapped. My guard captain believes there are no more bombs, but the attackers may still be in the city."

"You really shouldn't be out here then," Korra said. She craned her neck to look towards the city. "There's enough chaos without the Fire Nation losing both your mother and you."

"I won't abandon my people." Azula replied. She dug her nails into her hand, still safely hidden away in her sleeves. "We've lost the Fire Lord. I lost...we lost…my grandfather. They need to see me."

Korra had felt an anxious knot in her stomach the entire trip to the Fire Nation. Asami's airships had been fast, but not fast enough and airplanes could only carry so much. But the news about Lord Zuko turned that knot into an icey knife that lanced straight through her heart. Just like it had with Toph, Zuko had felt like a comfortable warmth after a long day on the ice, or like a piece of home. And now he was gone, violently and quickly. "I…" Words failed her, and she settled her feelings by suddenly hugging the princess off the ground. Azula's loss was more acute than Korra's. "I'm sorry."

With how people kept picking at her emotions, Azula wasn't sure how long she was going to be able to keep herself in check. "His last request was to protect you. He seemed convinced that your life was in danger."

"He was probably right." Korra put Azula back down. "Luring me here was probably a secondary objective after your mother. But I'm still going to help. Where do you think I'm needed the most?"

Azula's hands itched. "Healers. More than anything our wounded need healers."

"Got it, I'll do what I can." Korra stepped away, flagging someone off of the airship. Azula met eyes with Mako, and felt a strange mixture of relief and trepidation at seeing her boyfriend.

"Azula! You're okay!"

She was glad to see him, but she also feared he'd be a distraction. But his arms were a comfort, though one she only let herself have briefly before stepping away. "Relatively speaking."

"How do you need me to help?" He asked, the seriousness of the situation too obvious to ignore.

"You're Republic City's finest detective," she pointed out, knowing that he'd jump on the chance to help. "I want to know how they pulled this off, and who is leading this revived Red Lotus."

Leadership looked good on her. Mako nodded. "Okay. I'll start with the site of the first blast."

"Captain Shou Hu can show you."

"Azula, when you're ready to talk…" Mako put his hand over hers, gently pulling the sleeves away until their skin met.

"You're lucky I like you so much," she teased. The words were a little forced. She felt raw and vulnerable, but didn't want to show it. She just wanted to reassure Mako that she was okay. There was an old joke between them. The first words she'd ever said to him. "People have lost their hands for touching a Fire Nation Princess before."

"I'll never live that accident down, will I?" He squeezed her hands again, then pulled her sleeves back over them. "But you're worth it. We'll talk later."

It was well after dark before Azula had a chance to talk to anyone alone, and then her first choice was to corner her brother in the building they'd claimed as a temporary headquarters. Iroh's arms wrapped around her and she leaned into the embrace. For the first time that day, she let herself cry. Iroh was barely holding himself together, too, but he'd had time to rage on the trip back. They'd all been so close as a family.

Iroh let her step away in her own time. She'd always been picky about touching people. It was usually limited to their grandfather, Aunt Azula (much to her dismay), him and Mako. And even with them she liked to have her space. She was a lot like their grandmother in that respect and frankly, Iroh had been surprised at how quickly she'd opened up to her boyfriend.

She leaned against the wall. She didn't want to talk about their mother or their grandfather. "Your coronation won't be very fancy. It just needs to be quick."

"I won't be having a coronation."

She looked up sharply. "Iroh, you're next in line, mother-"

"It doesn't matter what mother wanted," he snapped. "It was never what I _wanted_. Azula, I belong with the United Forces. It's where I can do the most good in the world. I've spent more time around the world than I have here at home. The people know you better." He closed the distance between them again, and held out his hand. "You were born for this. I was never meant for it.."

Sighing, Azula took his hand. Lantern light flickered, casting them in shadow. "You're asking me to take on a burden that you don't want."

"Are you telling me you never wanted it?" They were both ambitious, but Iroh's ambition had led him to the military.

"If I did, I would be lying." She rubbed his knuckles. "I suspect this is part of it, but if you do this, Weichi will be moved down the line of succession, after any children I have."

"I'd rather my daughter have a normal life," he admitted, knowing full well that he was taking any choice his sister's children might have away.

"Did you ever tell our mother about her?"

He shook his head. "I'm unmarried, I didn't know what she'd think."

She frowned. She'd never liked the idea of keeping her niece a secret from either their mother or grandfather, but she'd listened to Iroh's wishes. "Mother would have _loved_ her."

"It's for the best, now. With someone targeting our family, she's safe where she is, and only a few people even knows she exists."

Azula let the subject drop. Iroh was obstinate, and it was too late now. Weichi would never know her grandmother. She found herself alone with her thoughts again. She kept thinking about the sound of people suffering. About that boy and his arm. She lifted her hand, the fire blazing to life in her palm casting her face in orange highlights.

"Hey." Mako's voice intruded on her thoughts, and she snuffed out the flame as she looked in his direction.

"Did you find anything?" She asked, hesitant to step back across the bridge between professional and personal.

"Your people are pretty thorough, but I've already got a lead." Mako moved closer, expression severe. "The unexploded bombs they recovered. I've come across something like them before. A few years ago we busted a group of people who were making them. They claimed they wanted to destabilize Earth Kingdom rebuilding efforts and all evidence at the time suggested it was an isolated incident from fanatical Kuvira supporters."

"Now, you're not so sure it was isolated," she finished for him, and closed the gap between them. "Or that they weren't actually her supporters. Kuvira and the Red Lotus have contradictory philosophies."

"It wouldn't have been hard for the Red Lotus to manipulate those people into doing their dirty work for them. Pretend they're in it for Kuvira, while knowing that the chaos they create served their interests more."

Azula nodded, her hand lifting to Mako's face. She stroked her thumb along his cheek, then ruffled it through his mustache.. "It's been a long day and I still have to make sure that security is prepared for my coronation tomorrow, but I'd like you to stay with me tonight."

Mako's face colored at her request. 'I..uh...wait,, _your_ coronation? I thought Iroh was next in line."

"He's abdicating, before ever wearing the crown," she explained. She ran her hand down Mako's arm. "When we were little, he was always off playing the boy general. It's what he's best at, and where he can best serve our nation and the world."

The idea of dating the _leader of an entire nation_ made Mako feel a vaguely uncomfortable for reasons he couldn't place. But Azula leaned into him, and he hugged her, kissing the top of her head, then the side of her face. "I love you, Azula. Whatever I'm able to do for you, I will."


	8. Fire & Water

For how quiet and small the coronation was, security had been tight. The were in the building that normally housed visiting dignitaries. Soldiers and guards stood in every corner and the Avatar was nearby with her eyes scanning for any signs of trouble. Azula expected an attack at any moment. For the murderers to finish the job and eliminate the rest of her family. Even if the worst happened and she and her brother were killed, there was still her niece to continue the royal line. It was only a small comfort. Azula had no wish to die, and the ensuing chaos would only lead to more people hurt.

Korra hadn't slept well the night before. She'd gotten a good look at one of the bombs that had been dismantled. It was a simple enough device, a clay pot filled with some kind of explosive black powder. The lotus painted on the pot had sent a shiver running up her spine. She'd had a short conversation with Lin that morning. The Chief had tried to interrogate Zaheer, but he'd denied any involvement and had been otherwise unresponsive. Korra thought he'd probably only talk to her.

She folded her arms as the crown was placed on Azula's head. The new Fire Lord was nothing like what she'd been told about her namesake. She was friendly, if a bit stand-offish. Azula liked to have a small bubble of space between her and everyone else most of the time. As she turned to face the people gathered, Azula straightened, seeming to gain several inches as she scanned the room.

"There are no time for speeches," Azula said. "Our nation is in crisis, but we will not falter. Justice will be had. For Fire Lord Izumi, Lord Zuko, and the men, women and children who were lost yesterday. With the help of our allies, these terrorists will be brought to heel."

The applause was subdued. Korra felt her wife's hand on her back, and stepped to the side with her. "What is it?"

"Some supplies were stolen overnight. No witnesses but I don't think it was just an opportunistic theft."

"They're definitely still in the city then." Korra glanced around. The surviving council members were here. A few aides and a dozen soldiers. Two provincial heads who'd been in the city when the attack had occurred. A far cry from past coronations but it was an emergency and they couldn't wait for a full ceremony. There was nobody here who was out of place. Despite that she was still on edge.

She leaned against a wall, closing her eyes and centering herself. The columns that ran in pairs made her nervous. Too many places for someone to hide behind. Asami watched her for a moment before moving between Korra and the rest of the ceremony. Once she was partially obscured by her wife, she knelt down and pressed her palm to the marble floor. It wasn't quite 'seeing' the way she could see with earthbending, or 'hearing' the way she could hear with airbending. And it wasn't quite spirit sight since there were no spirit vines here. Rather it was a combination of all three, channeled through her connection with Raava.

Thirty people in this room, twice as many outside waiting. Korra could sense nothing alarming, but something still felt _wrong_. Off. Something was off and she couldn't place what it was. She stood, shaking her head at Asami. She wanted to get closer to Azula, just in case. She felt Asami fall into place next to her.

"If something happens," She whispered. "Get the Fire Lord to safety. I'll hold the line."

Asami nodded, hooking her thumb into her belt and resting her hand there. She had a dozen pouches and pockets, and her glove fit on her hand comfortably. It wasn't her old friend, but a new model she'd developed two years ago. Stylish (as always) and with beefed up capabilities thanks to new discoveries. She just hoped she wouldn't have to use it. "Do you think something will happen?"

"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right, but I can't place my finger on it."

They followed Fire Lord Azula out of the building, to her right and a few feet behind. Asami was tense. There were a lot of people here. Anything could happen, at any time. Mako and Bolin flanked Azula on her left, and they seemed as tense as Asami felt. The few people gathered greeted the new Fire Lord with subdued cheers, and the plaza felt woefully empty. On the plus side, Asami reasoned, it would be harder for a sneak attack.

General Iroh had formed an honor guard, and Azula passed through it. She exchanged a look with her brother as they passed him, and he smiled at her. He nodded at Korra and she stopped next to him. "Something is wrong, I can feel it. I just can't tell you _what_ is wrong."

"Okay. I'll put my soldiers on higher alert. I'm not one to question the Avatar's judgement."

Korra clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks. Be careful, you're a target too."

She'd jogged no more than six steps towards catching up with the others and Azula when the air pressure around her suddenly changed. She dodged to the left, something sharp and jagged cutting into her cheek. Her blood splattered the ground as she rolled to her feet. Facing her was Amaya. In current Fire Nation fashion, the woman was wearing a midriff baring top. A red line from some kind of tattoo curved from under her left breast, taking an elaborate course towards her navel. She also sported red tattoos along the chi lines of her arms and legs. _Those_ were new, and the blatant way she'd copied airbenders pissed Korra off. She punched her fist into her palm. "I've been waiting for this."

"Perfect, I can take care of everything at once." Amaya darted forward, a stream of fire aimed for Korra's head.

She caught the fire easily, swirling it around her like a shield, aware of the people around them trying to flee. She needed to buy them time. Amaya attacked again, ripping chunks of earth from the intricately carved stones that made up the street. She flung them at Korra who simply added them to her fire shield. "Nice try, but you _and_ your earthbender are going down."

Amaya chuckled, falling into a waterbending stance. "You know nothing, Avatar." She attacked like a striking snake, lashes of water seeming to meet Korra no matter which way she turned. She caught the next strike, wrapping the water around her hand and freezing it.

Her sudden charge caught Amaya off guard and she smashed her icy mace into her face.

As soon as Korra had been attacked, Asami had grabbed Azula's arm. There were only a few places she could think of that were defensible enough and her first instinct was to get into the air. "Stay close!"

Mako had hesitated only a moment longer before moving behind them to give them cover. When he caught up, it was like he was seeing double.

"A second rate Fire Lord, a so-called detective and a failed pro-bender. How quaint."

Between them and the docks was Amaya, or someone who looked a lot like her. She wore a similar outfit to her sister, and had the same pattern of tattoos extending out from under the top of her tunic. Asami narrowed her eyes. She'd noted that she hadn't even rated a mocking comment. "Korra will take care of your sister, and we've fought people a lot tougher than you."

" I was hoping you'd be more surprised. I owe Nuo dinner. I'm Lihua." She lifted her hands, forming them into fists. Behind her were the air docks, five airships waiting on the circular platform. "One should know the name of the person who kills them."

Earth crumbled underneath Asami's feet. She dove forward, jabbing at the earthbender. Electricity crackled between them. Lihua dodged back, bringing up a wall of earth to block Azula's attack. Azula ran in, the Fire Lord wielding her fire like a flame whip, lashing at Lihua's shield, battering and burning it. Mako joined her, shooting fire from his fists.

As the whips of fire sizzled and crackled, Asami reached into a pouch, pulling out a little metal ball. She bounced it past Lihua. There was a flash of light and the earthbender stumbled out of her protection, hands over her eyes. Bolin jabbed twice, hitting Lihua in the head and jaw with slabs of rock. She hit the ground and lay still.

"Clever," Azula said. She glanced behind her. "We have company."

"Yeah." Asami had her eyes on a teenage boy holding a sword. He was younger and stocky in build, but his face was shaped similarly to the sisters.

Bolin looked from the woman on the ground to the newcomer. They both had the exact same face as Amaya. "Okay. Seriously. How many of them are there?"

"No idea, bro, but we'll take them all out just the same." Mako edged slightly in front of Azula, prepared to use his body as a shield for her.

The third sister formed a lance of ice and hovered it in the air. "I'll tell you after you're dead."

Korra was finding Amaya a tougher fight than she'd expected. Even after Iroh had jumped in Amaya was keeping up with both of them, switching between bending forms and stances like a natural. She was aggressive, and fast enough that Korra was beginning to doubt the other-benders-helping theory.

Iroh was as good as she remembered him, and about as reckless. It looked like they had the upper hand until Amaya turned one of his attacks into a fire cyclone and unleashed it on Korra. Most of the plaza erupted into flame, the buildings catching fire like dry tinder in a forest. Eyes glowing white, Korra rose into the air on a cyclone. She drew the fire to herself.

Iroh cornered Amaya while the Avatar was otherwise occupied. He crooked his finger at her and smirked. "Ready to give up?"

"Hardly." Amaya drove her fist into the ground. Her tattoos began to glow and her pupils turned red as she liquified the earth beneath Iroh. The man sank into it like a stone in water and all around them the fire grew worse.

"I don't want to hurt you." Asami had been playing defensive against the boy, deflecting his sword and using quick jabs and kicks to keep him away. She could only hope that Azula didn't need help with the waterbender.

He ran forward, ducking under her first attack. Asami twisted roughly to avoid a slash across her gut. She grabbed his shoulder and punched him in the chest. He stumbled back, and Bolin grabbed him in a headlock.

"Listen to the nice lady, kid!" He grunted as the boy elbowed him in the stomach, but didn't loosen his grip. He couldn't be more than a few years older than Kai had been when they'd first found him. Bolin didn't want to hurt him. Honestly, he wanted to help him. "It'll be okay. We'll take care of you."

Mako dodged an attack from the woman, rolling towards her and shooting twin jets at her head. She dodged them, ignoring Mako to lash out at Azula. Above all else, the Fire Lord had to die. The trio from Republic City was of only secondary concern - though if she could strike at the Avatar's heart by taking them out, then she would.

Azula jumped over the water whip. She didn't give the waterbender time to react before striking with her own fiery whips. Tendrils of flame cracked on either side of the woman. "Surrender, and I promise you a fair trial." A part of her wanted to give in to the anger and grief that had wormed it's way into her heart. That wasn't what her grandfather and mother would have wanted and that thought tempered her.

The woman laughed, drawing water from a pouch. It came out in a tendril, then suddenly splashed to the ground as her tattoos glowed red. "What? No, not now!"

Cautiously, Azula held out her hand. "I'm giving you one more chance to surrender." She wanted answers. She _needed_ answers.

She didn't answer, trying to summon the water back under her control. It moved, but weekly and she cursed vividly.

Mako changed stances. "Times up, we're doing this the hard way."

Before Mako could attack, something heavy slammed into his side. He skidded on the ground for several feet and groaned as he tried to get his bearings. Azula landed on top of him a moment later. She struggled to her feet, pulling Mako up with her. The detective stepped between her and their opponents.

"Come now, Nuo." Amaya formed a dozen spears of ice and angled them towards the Fire Lord and her boyfriend. "Do you honestly think I'd let you get hurt? Lets finish this and enact phase two."

"Avatar giving you trouble? Did you use-"

"Quiet! We'll deal with her in the Earth Republic." Amaya cut her off. A pair of metal orbs bounced at her feet, she looked down and was suddenly blinded by a flash of light. On instinct, she kicked the second orb away. Her hair rose on her skin as the electricity crackled nearby. Blindly, she attacked with her ice lances. She rocked the earth, throwing flame wrapped boulders around. The neighborhood caught fire.

Mako grabbed Azula's hand and they ran, Asami and Bolin close behind. Azula ducked around a corner, leading them into building. "This way. We can cut through here and regroup with Avatar Korra." She pressed a finger to her temple. "My whole city is going to burn at this rate."

"They're going to go to the Earth Republic next," Mako said. "But that doesn't mean they won't come after you again. We have to stop them."

"Lets just find Korra." Asami peered down the street, then started to jog up it. As they got closer to the royal district, the smell of burning wood greeted their nostrils. Azula broke into a sprint.

Korra greeted them in the plaza, her clothing scorched and torn. One building had been lost, but most of the rest had been saved. The gash on her face was still bleeding. Iroh sat nearby, covered in mud.

Asami looked her wife over, her breath catching in her throat. "Korra! Your face…" She pulled out a compact mirror to show her.

It was much deeper than Korra had realized. She pulled some water from a nearby well to start healing it. "I'm fine, but Amaya got away. She torched the plaza and turned the ground to liquid rock and it was let her go or lose Iroh."

"You should have left me," Iroh stated. For the third time since it had happened.

"We'll catch up with her," Korra promised. "I'm not letting her get away."

Azula sat down next to her brother, putting her hand on his arm. "She said something about the Earth Republic."

"They're triplets." Asami put her mirror away. She moved closer until her hip bumped into Korra's. "Water and Earthbender. They also have a non-bender little brother."

Korra frowned. "If you were fighting them, how did Amaya bend multiple elements against me and Iroh?"

It didn't make any sense, but Mako offered what he'd seen. "The waterbender's bending stopped working when her tattoos glowed."

"...and when Amaya's glowed her bending got suped up."

Asami turned the information over in her head. She didn't know how it was possible, but she could only think of one answer. "She's somehow siphoning bending from her sisters."

Iroh looked at Korra. "Is that possible?"

"I don't know. I don't think anything that we knew before applies any more. This is uncharted territory." Energy bending could remove or block a person's bending, Korra knew. Could an energy bender redirect that bending from one person to another?

"Mrs. Sato! Mrs. Sato!" A Future Industries worker ran up the road towards them. "Some women stole one of the airships!"

"Can't you make this thing go any faster?" Korra asked. She leaned on a railing and stared out the front window. She couldn't even see the other airship anymore.

Asami shook her head. "I'm sorry, but they stole the fastest one we have."

"Yeah. They stole _mine_." Gripping the railing, Korra closed her eyes. There was no use getting angry over an airship. She needed to focus. Naga nudged her head under her hand and she scratched absently at the polar-bear dog. "Bo, what's the word from Republic City?"

He looked up from the radio. "Jinora says everything is quiet. She also said she was going to look into what that firebender did to take her sisters' bending. She has some ideas, or something."

Mako folded his arms, leaning against the bulkhead. He wondered if he should have stayed behind to help protect Azula. Iroh was there, but there was no telling how many other Red Lotus were still in the Fire Nation. "The Red Lotus seems to attract powerful benders."

"That kinda makes sense," Bolin suggested. "I mean, if you're like this powerful super bender or something then the world going all anarchy isn't going to affect you all that much. If anything you're going to be at the top of the mountain."

"And Amaya was specifically trying to turn benders and non-benders against each other again. We fight amongst ourselves and they just step in to pick up the pieces." Asami stepped away from the flight controls, and started to open a panel. "I'm going to see if I can get some more juice out of the engines…"

Korra glanced at Mako. "Do you think she's an opportunist, or a true believer like Zaheer?"

"Either she's a very good actress, or she's a believer. There was a lot of passion in her voice when I fought her."

"Great." That confirmed her own opinion. The last person Korra wanted to fight was a true believer. They didn't give up, not when fighting for their cause. It made them extra dangerous.

The airship suddenly lurched. Asami climbed out of the panel and dusted her hands off. "There, I think we can catch up to them. The engines are going to end up shot, though."

"Thanks, Asami. If we can get close enough I can fly over and bring them down." Korra squeezed Asami's shoulder. "Hopefully without damaging the airship."

"Whatever you can break I can fix." The triplets were planning something and people were going to get hurt. An airship would be an acceptable loss to stop them. Asami just hoped that was all they lost before it was over.

They were over land before they spotted the other airship again. Mako pulled out a map, spreading it on a table. "There's not much if they keep going in that direction. Ba Sing Se, the dam…"

"Oh no," Korra said.

"They wouldn't seriously try to break the dam, would they?" Bolin looked between his brother and his best friends. "Thousands of people would drown!"

"And even more would starve to death," Mako said. "There's a lot of farmland below that dam. What doesn't wash away won't have any irrigation anymore."

Alarm filtered through Korra's voice. "Asami?"

She looked at her wife, and shrugged her shoulders. "I can't get it to go any faster, Korra, not without serious risk. We're already close to blowing the engines. I do anything else and we could blow up the whole ship."

"Honey, if that dam breaks..."

"I know." Asami pulled goggles out of her pocket. "I'll be in the engine room."


	9. Cracks in the Earth

There were mounds and mounds of paperwork. Done in triplicate, sign, stamped and sometimes signed again, and Jia's hands cramped something terrible. Between digging up and making copies of all the needed documentation for the lawsuit, juggling calls from nervous investors, dealing with a sudden and unexpected meeting of the directors and the continued need to direct and redirect the airships and resources that had been commandeered by the United Republic for the aid effort in the Fire Nation.

She wasn't alone in her office. Ikki had come by, since their date had been postponed for the foreseeable future. Jia had tasked her with sorting some of the less important paperwork - Ikki spent too much time stealing looks at her to give her anything with time constraints. She didn't entirely mind. It was flattering.

"You know between all this paper and how much you guys are doing to help out with the Fire Nation you'd think the President might just drop that lawsuit?" Ikki turned a paper over in her hand, her face contorting in annoyance. She set it on the floor in front of her, then climbed up onto the office couch. "Which I totally don't get. Look at how much good Asami has done for the City! She rebuilt it with _her bare hands_!"

Jia laughed. "It took more effort, with a lot more people than that. But she might, if we play our cards right. The concern is that there is too much power in one company. It's a valid concern. While Mrs. Sato has never been particularly concerned with making a great deal of profit and has always tried to be ethical, not everyone is like her. A future CEO, or another company might take advantage of a situation like this to make more money."

"So they're going to make an example of Future Industries."

"Yes." Moving some papers over, Jia sank back in her chair. "Why don't we take a break and get something to eat. I'll have something delivered."

"What, eat here in the office? Just the two of us?"

Jia nodded, and smiled as Ikki's face reddened. "It could give us a chance to talk about something that's not business related. I'm sure you're tired of listening to me rant to myself about bureaucracy."

"...It's actually kind of cute."

This time, Jia was the one blushing. "Right. Okay. Let me ..." She gestured at the phone then picked up much less smoothly that she'd like to to place an order for take-out. She also ordered catering for the rest of the office since everyone had been working so hard, and it was something that Asami would have done.

Doom. That was the feeling that had been following Ikki ever since Korra and the others had rushed to the Fire Nation, and it was something she hadn't been able to shake. Now that she wasn't distracted by helping Jia, she kept focusing on that anxiety in her gut. Something was going to happen. Her sister hadn't been all that reassuring when she'd brought it up. Jinora hadn't really said anything but the look on her face had told Ikki that she was worried too.

The couch shifted as Jia sat next to her. Ikki glanced at her, worrying her lip between her teeth. Jia folded her hands in her lap. "You're worried about them aren't you."

"Yeah. I keep feeling like something is going to happen."

"Like there's this sense of foreboding?"

Ikki nodded.

"I think that's only natural. I worry about them every time they go and do something. But that's the life they've chosen." She couldn't imagine a world where Asami didn't join Korra on Avatar Business. Actually having to go and do something dangerous was relatively uncommon, but it still happened, and Jia still worried. "All we can do is trust in their capabilities, and the capabilities of the people with them. Mako and Bolin are two of the best benders I've ever seen. Between them, the Avatar, and Asami's skills, they'll be fine. They've got General Iroh over there, too."

"He's awesome! He once did an air race with me and Meelo, only he was using fire jets and we kind of scorched something really important and dad's forehead vein was throbbing for a week."

Jia held her stomach as she laughed. "How old were you?"

"Uh." Ikki rubbed the back of her neck. "Seventeen at the time. I remember Dad muttering something about it being having Korra around all over again."

That only made Jia laugh harder, and Ikki nudged her shoulder with her own. "Hey! It's not that funny! And he's like _ancient_ so if anyone should get laughed at it's him!"

They were leaning against each other as Jia regained her breath. "I'm sorry. I'm just...picturing that in my head." She was usually more reserved around people, but laughter felt good for her soul. Like stress relief.

Ikki beamed at her. She'd never seen Jia quite like this and she loved it. She leaned in close. "...it _was_ funny. In hindsight."

"Many things are."

Seizing up her courage (and with her heart pounding a mile a minute) Ikki turned her head. But before their lips met, Jia had turned her head. Ikki's face burned, and she started to stand. Jia put her hand on Ikki's leg. "Wait."

Confused, Ikki froze. She wasn't able to look at Jia, afraid that if she did the rejection and embarrassment might make her do something even more foolish.

"It's not that I don't want to. I really like you." Jia's fingers twitched, and she had to stop herself from fidgeting. She'd thought about it, over and over. Weighed the pros and cons about telling another person about her secret. It had been such a relief at how quickly Korra and Asami had accepted her, and Korra had been positive Ikki would too, but it was such a fundamental part of herself that the fear of rejection was omnipresent. It might be a relief, and she genuinely wanted Ikki to know.

"Then what is it?" Ikki finally let herself look at Jia. Beautiful Jia, with her hair always in that bun. Ikki had fantasized about taking it down, running her fingers through it. She could imagine Jia's amber eyes, half closed, as she did so. Once, not long after Korra had opened the new spirit portal, she'd caught Korra curled up with Asami, stroking her hair. She'd never seen either of them so content, and it had been a favorite fantasy of hers whenever she'd crushed on a girl.

"Have you ever heard of people who have bodies that don't match up with who they are inside?"

"Uhm." It sounded like something that she'd gone over in lessons with her father but hadn't paid much attention to. "...kind of? It's a spirit thing, isn't it?"

"Sort of." Even though Jia had mulled over the words, they still didn't come easily. "My soul, what makes me _me_ , is a woman. but until I was your brother's age, I didn't know it. I only knew that I'd always felt wrong. That I wasn't supposed to be a boy."

"Oh." Ikki put her hand on top of Jia's. "Was it scary? Figuring that out?"

"Very." Jia looked at their hands, then back at Ikki. "...does it bother you?"

Ikki could have said something sarcastic, or joking to reassure Jia. Made light of it, but she could feel Jia almost trembling against her. This was too serious, and maybe it was time she made herself be a little more serious.

So she simply shook her head, and lifted her free hand to stroke her fingers along Jia's cheek. "No. It doesn't bother me. I still like you, you're still beautiful, you're still _you_. And you're trusting me with this and ... " She didn't know what else to say.

Jia leaned her forehead against Ikki's, tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to blink them away, before her make-up got ruined.

Ikki squeezed Jia's hand, hard enough to be a little painful. "And I want to be your friend. Or other things. If you want. Still."

The phone rang, and both women stared at it with baleful expressions. Jia got up with a sigh to answer it. "Future Industries."

Her eyes widened. "Madame President. What is it?"

Ikki watched Jia's face as her expression shifted from annoyance, to concern, to abject panic. Then her face closed up. "We'll get right on it." Jia hung up. "At this rate Future Industries and the United Republic are both going to go bankrupt."

"What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Jia grabbed Ikki's hand and pulled her out of the office. She stopped in front of her temporary assistant's desk. "Yang, get every Satoplane we have available fueled up and in the air. Then I want you to find _any_ airships you can and load them up with food and clean water."

"Ma'am?"

"The King Bumi Dam broke."

Cracks ran from the base of the dam, all the way up to the top, where Asami could see Korra and Mako fighting Amaya. With Korra occupied, they needed to do something to slow the cracks. She grabbed Bolin's shoulder. "Bolin, do you think you can bend lava into those cracks? If it cools fast enough that should buy us enough time."

"Enough time for what? That dam is falling apart!"

"Trust me, just do it!"

Bolin watched Asami jump onto Naga's back. They took off at full speed towards one side of the dam. He turned his attention to the massive structure. "Okay, Bo, you can do this." He cracked his knuckles, and sent a wave of lava up the side of the dam. He cooled it quickly and pumped a fist. It was just like a bandaid!

He felt the earth shift behind him, and dodged to the left. A jagged spike of rock shot through the air where he'd been. Rolling to his feet, he faced Lihua.

"Lavabending. That's a surprise. I didn't think you had any talent at all."

"You're hurting my feelings," Bolin pouted. He lifted his fists. "You shouldn't do this. A lot of people could die."

"Wash away the rot and lay down fertile soil for the new order," She replied.

"Do you really believe that?"

"Not really. But I'll do _anything_ for family."

The dam only had a single release gate. A flaw in the design that Asami had offered to rectify at cost, but hadn't been given the go-ahead by the Earth Republic's government for. But letting even a little water out would ease the strain on the dam. Between Bolin's bandaging efforts and this, Asami hoped that the dam would last long enough for Korra to stop Amaya and do another shore up job. And then Asami was going to fix this damn for free if she had to.

No one was in the control room when she entered, but with Naga at her back she was certain she'd be ready for any surprises. The release consisted of three valves. With all valves fully turned, a door would slide open and water would come rushing out. The first two were easy, but the third one was much more difficult. Asami positioned her feet against the wall and her back against a pipe and pulled with all of her might.

Outside, metal groaned loudly as the gate slid open. Water started to rush out with jet-like force. Lihua turned to look, and Bolin seized his opening. He surrounded her with a ring of lava. She turned back to face him and he hit her in the back of the head with a large rock. She stumbled, falling to her knees. Bolin shifted into a defensive position, waiting for her to move. "...you going to give up? You should _probably_ give up, I mean you're just going to have a huge headache by the time we're done."

Her shoulders slumped, and she lifted her head to look at him. Tears streaked down her face, as her eyes began to turn red and her tattoos glowed. "Would you die for your family?"

"I'd rather live for them, but if there was no other choice, I would."

"You understand. Good enough." Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she slumped over.

Bolin lept across his lava ring, kneeling next to her. He searched for a pulse. He found one. Fluttering. Faint. He didn't understand what was happening, but Lihua wasn't dead yet, and something inside him didn't want to see her die. "Sometimes family makes mistakes. There's a big difference between sacrificing yourself to protect them, and dying like this."'

A wave of water washed over the dam. Bolin looked for Korra and his brother, and breathed a sigh when he saw them still standing.

"She's buying time," Mako said. He was soaked to the gills, and breathing heavily. All Amaya had been doing for the past five minutes had been holding them off. She'd barely attacked, deflecting their attacks and making attempts to damage the dam.

Every time Amaya tried to earthbend the dam, Korra had countered it. A crack formed at their feet and she closed it up. There was plenty of water for both of them to use. Whips and ice flew about dangerously. But Mako was right, this was a delaying action. Korra narrowed her eyes. "We can't let her buy any more time."

"Right." Mako fell into a classic Fire Bender stance. "It's time to empty her wallet."

"Good one. Write it down for later."

"Thanks."

Amaya snorted. Her tattoos flared red and she suddenly split the dam between her and the Avatar. Korra crossed the gap in a single jump, closing it beneath her as she landed in front of Amaya. She swung her fist, an arc of fire following it, then followed it up with fiery kick. Amaya was forced backwards. She laughed. "This is too big for you, Avatar. It's not just the Fire Nation. It's not just the so-called Earth Republic. The Fire Lord was the call to arms."

"What's this then?" Something nagged at the back of Korra's mind. Where was the water-bending sister? She suddenly realized what Amaya had been waiting for, but it was too late.

"A declaration of war." Amaya's words were punctuated by ten deep, rumbly explosions. Water spouted up, all along the dam. It rocked underneath them. Amaya rocketed away on a burst of flame as the dam began to crumble.

Korra lost her footing as a wave of water slammed into her. The dam gave way, breaking into boulders ranging from large to huge, pushed along by twenty million acre-feet of water. Amaya watched from a safe perch as the water poured into the valley below. It was more than she expected. It was so sudden and so _violent_ that it gave her momentary pause. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and glanced at her sister, Nuo, asking, "Did we do the right thing?"

"You tell me?"

Amaya frowned, then shook it off. "Let's get out of here. We need to signal the other cells. It's time." Leaving the decimation behind, the sisters fled on foot.

From the depths of the rampaging water glowed a bright white light. It grew bigger and brighter, until Korra burst out of the water on a whirlpool. Mako was thrown over her shoulder, and she had Bolin under her other arm. He still had a tight grip on Lihua. Korra glanced around, taking in the devastation. She stopped only long enough to drop her precious cargo on dry land, then shot along the surface of the water, streams of fire trailing behind her.

She held out her right hand, lifting great sheets of earth as she went. The flood crashed into the new barrier and began to follow the path as she carved it. She pushed herself harder, trying to get ahead of the water. Her massive earthen barrier curved with her as she shifted course, and she twisted around as soon as she'd passed the front of the flood. Korra dropped to the ground, lifting her hands as the wave bore down on her.

The water stopped. Korra lowered her head, the ground beneath her feet cracking and breaking apart. Her barrier grew again, racing back towards the remains of the dam. Earth collided with earth, meshing together and hardening. With the barrier sealed, Korra let the water go. It flowed around her, but she wasn't done.

Her eyes were searching, straining for something. And then she saw it, a flash of white in the deluge. Korra clenched her fists, and the water slowed again. She reached in, grabbing onto white fur and pulling as hard as she could.

Naga flopped out, Asami tied loosely to her harness. With no time to spare, Korra gathered her wife up in her arms, grabbed Naga by the harness and launched herself into the air. Water filled the space where she'd been, as though there'd never been a space at all.

They landed hard on the other side of the barrier, Korra dropping out of the Avatar State. Her body ached in ways she had forgotten were possible, but she ignored it, turning Asami onto her back and leaning her cheek over her wife's mouth. She felt the faintest trace of warm breath, and hugged Asami against her chest. She felt her wife's arms thread under her armpits, her hands pressing hard against her back. That only made Korra's embrace all the tighter.

Asami coughed, a wet, gurgling sound. "Bolin? Mako?"

"They're okay. I'm okay. You're okay. We're all okay."

"You stopped it?" Asami struggled to pull her head away, looking at Korra's face.

Korra glanced at the barrier. "Yeah. Easy."

"Damn." Asami breathed, staring. The barrier had to be at least twice as high as the original dam had been.

"Well, that's what I was going for."

Asami resumed clinging to Korra. Her voice was very serious. "You owe me one for the pun jar, Korra."


	10. Shadows of the Past

The sun was beginning to set, but now that Asami and their friends were okay, Korra turned her attention to capturing Amaya and her other sister. She sped along the surface of the newly created reservoir. There, a few hundred meters from where the dam had once been was her airship, and two figures running towards it. She dove, gathering water behind her and using the pressure to burst out of the lake. She landed between Amaya and the airship, water swirling over her head and outstretched arms like a whirlpool.

Amaya gave out a frustrated growl. "Why don't you just give up?"

"The world needs an Avatar, Amaya. If only to deal with people like _you_."

"You're fighting against the tide."

"I don't understand you." Korra kept one eye on Amaya, and the other on her sister. "What's the point of anarchy? There'll always be someone taking charge, and usually it'll be warlords."

"Our plans go well beyond returning power to the people," Amaya said. "Even if we give the people power, you still put the world out of balance. We'll fix _that_ , too."

"Right.." Korra stepped forward, and Amaya took a step back, twirling her arms in a classic waterbending move. Something latched onto Korra's arms and legs, and then she was yanked off of her feet. Her water crashed to the ground on top of her.

Korra tried to pull on what had grabbed her, then looked down to see an inky blackness wrapped around her wrists and shins. Tendrils of darkness writhed like purple flame, moving from the shadows cast by the airship and then lashed out at her.

Summoning up the Avatar State, Korra broke free, spinning through the air. She landed, throwing water at Amaya, but the woman grabbed her sister and stepped to the side. Losing sight of her in the Shadows, Korra threw a ball of fire into the sky, trying to dispel the shadows from the setting sun. But her enemy was gone.

"Shadowbending." Bolin folded his arms, leaning against the bulkhead and looking at Korra like she'd lost her mind. "Is that even a thing? How is that thing? I mean what bending does that even _come_ from?"

"I'll call up Tenzin and ask," Korra said. "Either he or Jinora might have an idea."

"Why didn't she use it before though?"

Mako glanced at Asami. "I don't know, but we do have a prisoner we can ask."

Korra nodded. "Asami, get us to Republic City as fast as you can, I have a really bad feeling." She turned and quickly walked out of the cockpit, leading Mako through the ship to the room they'd locked the Earthbender in.

Lihua was tied to a chair, her shoulders sagged and her head hanging. She looked up with the hatch opened. "What do you want?"

"We just have a few questions," Mako said. He closed the hatch behind him.

"Have fun with that."

Korra sighed. "Your sister tried to kill you."

"You're an only child, what do you know?"

While Korra bristled, Mako stepped into Lihua's line of sight. "I love my brother. I'd die for him. But I'd never _ask_ him to die for me. And he wouldn't ask me to die for him. We _support_ each other. We don't use each other."

Lihua frowned, looking back at the deck as though trying to ignore them, or any of the thoughts that might be going through her head. Korra could spot some differences from her sister, up close. Lihua was a little thinner, and her eyes were half a shade lighter. She also seemed to be missing the edge that followed every one of Amaya's actions.

Her shoulders rose, then sagged again, and she looked up, defeated. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"How did your sister learn to manipulate _shadows_."

Gaze moving to Korra, Lihua shrugged. "I don't know how. But she's able to move us through shadows, from location to location. Like within a city."

"While planting bombs." Korra guessed.

"Yes."

Mako asked the next question. "How does she borrow your bending?"

"Spirit energy. Energy bending. Something like that." Lihua shrugged again. "It has something to do with the tattoos. Like shared chi-lines. He said it only works as well as it does because we're three parts to a whole."

Triplets, Mako thought. It made as much sense as anything else.

"He?" There was only one 'he' that came to mind, and while Korra had stopped fearing him a long time ago, he was still a very sore point with her.

"I don't know, some old man Amaya trained with. In the spirit world. He showed her how to siphon our bending, where to put the tattoos. The basics of bending all the elements. He probably taught her how to shadowbend as well. " Lihua's face fell, and she closed her eyes. "She's been training with him for years. I only met him a few months ago." When she opened her eyes again, Korra and Mako were gone and the hatch closed. Lihua's lip quirked. "You're welcome."

It would be the second airship that Asami risked the engines on. Several FI planes flew past them towards the dam, and she tried to signal them. One dipped his wings in acknowledgement, but they kept flying.

No one from the city was responding to the radio, and by the time they got close enough to listen to the news reports there was smoke rising in the distance. Though something kept interfering with the signal, they got enough information to get the general idea.

Someone had tried to kill the president. Non-benders protesting. Rioting. Chaos in the streets. With only a stop to let Mako and their prisoner off at the police station, Asami set a course straight for her company.

"You'll be okay?" Korra picked up her glider staff.

"Yeah. Once I've made sure my company is intact I'll join you at the island."

Korra shook her head. "No, once I've talked to Tenzin I'm going straight to the prison. So meet me there." She lept out of the airship, and soared towards Air Temple Island. She surveyed the city below her as she traveled. Police had many of the protests contained to specific areas. Many of the 'rioters' weren't actually rioting at all. She frowned..

The temple was busy, but peaceful when she landed. She spotted Tenzin and ran up to him. "Tenzin!"

"Korra! We've been worried sick."

"I'm okay. Amaya broke the dam, but I contained most of the flood. She got away though." Korra leaned on her staff. "What's the word here, and in the Fire Nation?"

"Fire Lord Azula has things under control since you left. But while you were chasing down the assassins, an Earthbender attempted to murder Tuyin."

"Did they catch them?"

Tenzin shook his head. "No. After the attack, people started inciting others. Tuyin refused Airbender aide. She thinks that more benders being in the streets would only make the violence worse."

Korra felt an odd twisting in her gut. A strange sense of deja vu. "When I flew over here, there wasn't that much violence. Most people seemed to be gathered peacefully, or herded by the police. But I couldn't tell what groups were benders and which weren't. Not from that height."

"That's concerning. It would mean the radio reports are false."

" _Someone_ wants mass chaos, even if they have to manufacture it." Korra raked her fingers through her hair. "I need to speak to someone. But I need to know something first. That you or Jinora might know."

"Whatever I can do to help."

"Have you ever heard of shadowbending?"

Tenzin tugged on his beard, furrowing his brows. "Shadowbending? Come to think about it, my father once mentioned he met a shadowbender. A young girl, when he was trying to recruit additional members for Team Avatar. But I haven't heard of anything like that, since."

Korra tapped her staff on the ground, unfolding the wings. "If you can find anything about shadowbending, let me know. Amaya used it against me."

"Is there anything else you need me to look for?"

"How it's possible to siphon someone's bending, from one person to another."

"These are strange days we're living in," Tenzin mused. "Jinora and I will get right on it." He turned, but Korra's voice stopped him.

"And Tenzin?"

"Yes?" He glanced back at her.

"You might want to send airbenders out to observe. Just in case."

"Asami!" Jia held the door to the roof open as Asami ran down the gangplank, Bolin close behind her.

"It's good to see you. Fill me in."

"Do you want the good news or the bad news?" She followed her boss down the stairs, gripping several folders in her arms.

"Lets start with the good news."

"The lawsuit is on hold," Jia said. "Between the bombing in the Fire Nation, the attack on the dam, and now the protests in the city, I was able to ask for a hold on the case."

"Good! How long?"

"Sixty days."

Asami frowned. That was better than nothing, but she had no idea how long the current crisis would last. She'd nearly drowned, her entire body ached and she hadn't slept in nearly twenty-four hours. She supposed this was the reward for not having many serious crisis' since Kuvira. She resolved to increase her work-out schedule when everything settled. "That's not long, we'll take it."

Bolin clapped his hands together. " So if that's the good news, what's the bad news?"

"The expense of diverting all our ships and planes to help with the Fire Nation and now the Earth Republic is going to affect our bottom line," Jia said. "We should still be able to weather it but it's going to be a tight year."

"I'll take a pay cut and strongly recommend other executives do the same. I don't want to cut pay or lay off anyone if we can avoid it."

They entered Asami's office, and Jia set the folders down. Asami ignored the folders for the time being, and hugged Jia from behind. "Thank you. You've gone way beyond your job description. I don't know where Future Industries would be without you. I don't know what _I'd_ do without you."

Jia closed her eyes. "There's been limited damage to one of the factories from the current unrest, but otherwise we're weathering that."

"I hate to do this to you," Asami said, letting Jia go. "But I need to meet Korra at the prison."

"I'll be fine. I've got Ikki to help me out…. she's around here somewhere."

"I'll stay and chaperone," Bolin said, affecting a snooty voice when he said 'chaperone.'

"I don't need-"

"That's a fantastic idea, Bolin!" Asami smiled teasingly at Jia. "Someone has to look out for your best interests, Jia. And I'm sure Tenzin would appreciate someone looking out for Ikki."

"Nothing happened," Jia blurted.

A slow, sly grin grew on Bolin's face. "No one accused you of something happening."

"Usually when someone says that it means that something happened," Asami agreed.

Jia started to shove Asami out of the office. "Go help the Avatar, damn it."

"Yes boss."

Returning to the prison where Zaheer was kept left Korra with uncomfortable feelings. There was anger there. The kind of anger that ran deep. An old anger that dulled with time but never quite went away. She mulled over it, pacing as she waited for Asami. She wanted to face him calm, and part of calming herself down was to accept the anger and point it into a more useful direction.

But Asami was late, and Korra was impatient, though she knew it was a bit of a drive. After twenty minutes, she strode past the White Lotus guards and down the hallway to Zaheer's cell. It was pretty much exactly how she'd seen it last. For most people, the monotony would have been maddening. But this was Zaheer, and Korra was kicking herself over the realization that he had escaped to the Spirit World.

"I was wondering when you'd visit." Zaheer's voice was raspy from disuse. He looked scraggly and thing, all the muscle definition having left his body. His hair was long and greying, but his eyes remained sharp.

"Enjoying prison?" She said, once the doors had closed behind her. Korra didn't think he'd be a threat.

"My body already was a prison and I learned to escape that one a long time ago. This one?" He looked around, as if seeing it for the first time. "This one is meaningless." His eyes focused on Korra once again. "You've changed, yet remain the same."

"You trained Amaya," Korra said. "You taught her to siphon her sisters' bending, somehow. You taught her how to shadowbend."

"I won't deny it. I've had years to meditate, to explore the spirit world, learn and study. There are secrets yet to be discovered. What I showed her was just the _beginning_ of what's out there. Energybending has unlocked a new potential. Thanks to your actions with the spirit portals, many new horizons are now possible."

"She rebuilt the Red Lotus."

"The Red Lotus never withered," Zaheer countered. "We watched. We waited. We manipulated events and now they've come to a head. The ghost of Amon has haunted this city for over a decade. But he was just another despot, no different from Kuvira. The only true path to _equality_ is to let the people rule themselves. It's coming, Avatar Korra. Bender versus non-bender. Citizen versus government. Red Lotus pushing at all sides until something breaks. Republic City descends into chaos. The rest of the world follows soon after. The forest burns so that new growth can rise from the ashes."

Korra studied him as he spoke. His words only confirmed most of her suspicions, but she didn't think he'd give her any tips on fighting Amaya. Even though his voice was weak, there was still _passion_. "You still believe that bullshit? The Fire Nation is safe, and I stopped the Dam before much was damaged. I'll stop whatever plans you have, Zaheer."

Zaheer smiled, then closed his eyes and lowered his head. He laughed, the sound grating on Korra's nerves. "I'm just an observer now. It's all in her hands, and the hands of the people. The dominos are falling and not even you can stop them all. Maybe you need to learn the most important lesson of all."

"And what would that be?"

Lifting his head, Zaheer locked eyes with Korra. "You need to learn when it's time to let _go_ " His body suddenly went slack, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. He exhaled once more, and then his chest stilled.

"He just died? Just like that?" Asami placed her hands on Korra's arm. "... are you okay?"

"Yeah." Korra put one hand over Asami's. "He hasn't had power over me in a long time, he just frustrated me more than anything else. He confirmed a lot of suspicions but I don't know if anything he said will help yet. I want to talk to Jinora. Tell her what he told me."

"What did he say?"

"Everything seems to come back to energy bending, and the spirit portal." Korra gestured with her free hand towards the shining beacon in Republic City. "New horizons. Zaheer is right, we haven't even scratched the surface."

Asami watched the portal for a moment. "I don't think it was a bad thing. Not the portal, certainly none of the changes. Maybe it was hard to adjust, but that's what people do. They adapt and grow."

"I'm not going to get old ghosts hold me back." Korra punched her fist into her palm. In the distance, they could hear the droning of airship engines. She squinted as dark specs appeared on the horizon. "Are those yours?"

"I don't think so. Most of Future Industries' fleet should still be in the Fire Nation." Asami pulled a pair of binoculars out of her purse. "Those designs are definitely not mine. Not Earth Republic either."

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Korra sprinted for the Satomobile, sliding across the hood and then practically jumping into the passenger seat. "Why does the prison have to be so far from the city?"

Asami slid in a second later and started the engine. As she peeled out, she thought that no one was going to mind if they broke all applicable traffic laws right now. She handed Korra the binoculars. "Maybe you'll be able to see something as we get closer."

It wasn't easy, not with the car swerving. Korra didn't dare look at the dash, she was pretty sure Asami was red-lining the speedometer. "I can't make out the logos, but it's a red color."

"Red Lotus? Since when do they have an airship fleet?"

"Or an army. Or…" Korra trailed off and nearly fumbled. "They're dropping mecha tanks."

Knuckles gripping the wheel so hard they were turning white, Asami snapped. "How do they have tanks? How did no one _know_ about this? I thought Kuvira's mecha fleet was scrapped?"

"It was supposed to be. We'll worry about that _after_ we send them to the scrap heap." Korra balled up her fist.

"I'll drop you as close as I can to the nearest airship, then I'll get airborne in yours. We need to bring down some of those." They were closer. One airship was clearly bigger than the rest, with what looked like large barrels arrayed on the sides and front. More alarming was what was mounted on the rear - someone had installed _her new engine design_. Asami's grip on the wheel only got tighter.

Korra looked at her wife curiously. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet, but I'll think of something." She flashed an angry look at Korra. "I may have an idea."


	11. War is Upon Us

Jia pushed Ikki behind the desk, kicking it over as the large glass windows overlooking the city shattered into thousands of razor sharp pieces. She used her body to further shield the airbender, until the glass stopped raining down. She peered over the desk in time to see men and women in red hoods swinging into the office. She grabbed Ikki's hand and pulled her out of the office. "Run!"

A blast of fire followed them. Jia ducked and rolled, spinning around long enough to throw a stream of flame back at the Red Lotus soldiers. Ikki stopped at the elevator but Jia grabbed her again. "No. Stairs. Elevator will be a death trap."

She slammed her fist into the fire alarm, then pulled the door open. "Hurry!"

"I didn't know you were a bender." Though Jia seemed to be moving quickly enough in her heels, Ikki created a ball of air underneath her and picked Jia up to hasten their descent. She didn't have her airsuit, but she could make do.

Jia clung on tightly. "Not many do. We need to get to Research and Development."

"Why?"

"There are projects we really don't want them getting their hands on."

They burst out of the stairwell on the first floor. As soon as Ikki set her down, Jia took off at a full sprint down the hallway and through the heavy doors that led to the rear of the Future Industries complex. Towering three stories was the R&D department. A Red Lotus airship was hovering over it, strange tubular protrusions on its deck and what looked like Asami's new engines mounted to the back. In front of the entrance stood two soldiers, conversing with someone.

Jia recognized Ai Li immediately. The head of Future Industries' aeronautics department, deep in conversation with the Red Lotus. Ai Li spotted then a moment later and shouted something before rushing into the building. The soldiers moved into attack stances, but a blast of air from Ikki threw one man into the wall, and a swift punch to the throat from Jia brought the other down.

"What do we do?" Ikki asked.

Jia looked down at her hands, then calmly removed her earrings and hiked up her skirt. "Get all the employees out of the building. I'm going to burn it to the ground."

"Won't Asami freak?"

"It'll be better than these terrorists getting some of this technology," Jia replied. Fire flared to life in her palms and the unflappable woman looked thoroughly flapped. "Lets go!"

They rushed in together, Jia sliding low and lobbing fire at the nearest soldier. She could see Ai Li climbing the stairs into one of the cat walks. Ikki followed her gaze. "Do you want me to get her?"

"Save people first."

"What about the rest of the city?"

Jia swallowed her fear. She wasn't exactly a fighter. "Lets just do what we can here. And try not to die."

Ikki glanced at Jia, then ran forward. She swept her foot underneath a soldier, and he jumped to avoid it. She hit him in the chest with a blast of air, swirling more wind around her as she spun back to her feet. Two more unlucky soldiers were thrown into a wall. She pulled open a door to an office. Several employees were inside. Two men were cowering inside and a woman was making a weapon from a mop and what looked like the blade from an industrial paper-cutter. Ikki grinned at her, recognizing her from a now famous ad. "It's clear to the door! This place is about to burn down."

"Come on." The woman hauled the men to their feet and shoved them out the door. She brandished her weapon. "I'll protect your scrawny butts."

Something heavy slammed into Jia and she hit the ground hard. Rough hands grabbed at her, but she scrambled and rolled away. Back on her feet, she realized the heel on one shoe had snapped off. She picked it up from the ground, set it on fire, and threw it at her assailant. The soldier swatted it aside. Jia adjusted her stance. She had basic training in the basic forms, but the extent of her combat training had been the occasional sparring session with Asami or her friends. Heart pounding in her chest, Jia swung out a foot, an arc of fire following her movement. The soldier dodged it easily and advanced on her.

She remembered something Asami had shown her, a way to hold her hand and where to strike someone. A jab to the throat and then a punch in the chest and the soldier went down. Jia looked up, trying to find Ai Li again. The engineer was nearly to the room. She looked around wildly, spotting Ikki ushering employees out of the building. She pointed at Ai Li, and Ikki immediately airbent up to the catwalks. Jia grabbed one of the fleeing employees, a man she knew was a firebender. "I need your help. We're burning this building to the ground."

Ai Li moved quickly along the catwalk. Her extraction was on the roof and in just another minute she'd be airborne and safe. She didn't think Jia was a threat but the airbender could be a problem. The catwalk rocked suddenly, and she glanced behind her, fingers tightening on a file under her arm. "This doesn't concern you."

"That's the line you're going to open with? I'm an airbender, I'm more balanced than you." A gust of wind punctuated Ikki's words and the file was ripped out of Ai Li's hands. Another burst of air and Ikki flipped over Ai Li, grabbing the file in mid air and landing between her and the exit. She glanced down as smoke started to billow up, then held the file out over the fire Jia was creating below. "I'm going to guess that we don't want you taking whatever is in this folder."

"What are you doing? That's years of work!"

"Were you with the Red Lotus this whole time?" Ikki untied the clasp on the folder and thumbed through it. She closed it and then slipped it inside her shirt. "You've been using Asami to develop weapons! You stole her-"

Ikki's accusation was cut off as Ai Li slammed bodily into her. They both toppled over the railing and plummeted towards the fiery inferno. Ikki pushed at Ai Li, kicking and biting until the older woman let go of her. As the flames licked up around her, she punched at the fire, a whirlwind of air forming a cushion that she then used as a springboard. Ikki landed hard, rolling past Jia. Ai Li's cry was lost in the roaring fire.

Lin had spent the better part of lunch picking at her food and occasionally staring intently at Kya. It was driving Kya a little nuts. She was only in Republic City long enough to wait for a transport to the Fire Nation so she could help with healing efforts, but she'd wanted to spend at least some of her time catching up with an old friend. Of course, that only really worked if said old friend was in a talkative mood. But talkative and Lin Beifong weren't things that commonly went together.

"You know, I'd tell you that if you keep wearing the same expression your face will freeze like that, but that's kind of already happened," Kya said, pointing a finger at her old friend.

Predictably, Lin scowled. "It _would_ be a month before I retire and there's suddenly chaos."

"Were you even looking forward to retirement?"

"Yes."

Kya leveled a bemused look at Lin. "Really? Truely? _You_? What were you going to do with your free time?"

"I don't know. Travel." She shrugged, rolling her eyes. "I can't be Chief forever. The position needs new blood. I just…" She sighed, and sank back in her chair. "I don't know what I'm going to do with myself."

"So you think it's the best thing for the city, but it's not the best thing for you," Kya guessed.

"Yes." She'd been dreading retiring, but it was the right thing to do. She'd earned her rest.

"With mom gone, I feel like I've been cut loose. Tenzin and Bumi have their little boys airbender club now. And the kids are all grown up. I don't feel needed anymore." Kya snorted. "Not that I've felt all that needed in recent memory. At least you had the police force. Tenzin has his family and his airbenders."

"You know," Lin replied. "I've never once envied my sister. Not her city, or her family. I've been content with my life."

"That doesn't have to mean that your life has to be over once you retire. Maybe...it could just be getting started." Leaning forward, Kya slapped her palms on the table. "You know what? Lets do something crazy."

"You've been spending too much time with Bumi," Lin retorted.

Kya laughed. "I haven't even said anything yet." She held up a hand to cut Lin off. "After this crisis is over, lets travel. Just you and me. You've more than earned the vacation."

"I'll think about it." Lin's scowl softened. "but...I'm not joining any circuses."

Smiling triumphantly, Kya picked up her chopsticks. Before she had a chance to stir her noodles, an air-raid siren went off. She glanced at Lin, and then both women jumped to their feet and ran for the door.

Lin looked to the sky in time to see black puffs of smoke from an unusual airship. A sound like thunder reached her ears just before a police airship went up in flames.

A hatch on the bottom of the attacking airship slid open and a mecha tank fell out. It landed nearby, rocking the ground. The top half swiveled, then it rolled forward. Lin darted to the side, lifting the ground in front of the tank and pushing back at it. It rolled back, then surged around the barrier. Kya drew water from her pouch and lashed at it. It twisted away, and one of it's arms swiveled. Lin readied herself for cables or electricity. Instead, there was a flash of white light and a sound like a firecracker. Blood sprayed across Lin's vision.

It splattered across her face, hot and wet, as Kya's back hit the ground. Time seemed to slow for Lin Beifong. The feeling of the earth around her became more pronounced, and she could almost taste the metal of the mech in the air. Where they'd gotten enough platinum for this army was a question for another time. Something shifted in Lin's consciousness as she charged towards the tank. Another click, another firecracker sound and something impacted her shoulder. The pain spread like fire down her arm, and she could feel a metal ball lodged in her flesh.

Click. _Crack_. She bent the metal of the next shot enough to spare her heart. It bit into her torso on the left side of her stomach and exploded out the other side. A third shot she deflected and it sank into her thigh. She stumbled, but she was close enough to feel the iron and steel inside the tank. There were hundreds more of those balls, and every one she could feel.

Holding her hands out, she blanked out the pain. The tank started to rattle as it's ammunition bounced around inside it. Smoke poured out of the cockpit and then the vehicle exploded.

The impact knocked Lin back and she skidded on the ground. For a few moments she lay dazed, watching the battle in the skies above Republic City. Kya groaned nearby and Lin crawled towards her. "Kya. Can you hear me? I'm coming."

She reached the waterbender. The front of her tunic was soaked with blood, and ignoring her own wounds, Lin hovered her hand over Kya's stomach. "I can get that thing out of you but you've got to be healing while I go."

"Sounds like a party," Kya whispered. Somehow she found the strength to pull water from nearby. "Hey, if I don't…"

"You aren't going anywhere," Lin ordered.

The fighting was bad enough before the Red Lotus literally dropped into town. A two-war riot had quickly turned into a three way war, but there was something fishy about it. Jinora crouched behind an overturned satomobile, peering through a spyglass as Kai kept watch behind them. "Oh, this is bad."

"You mean it's somehow getting worse?"

"Looks like some of the Red Lotus soldiers are really friendly with those New Equalists." The word left a bad taste on her tongue. While she generally supported the idea of equality there were too many bad memories surrounding that exact word.

"Either they're not purists or they don't really understand who they're working with," Kai mused.

"Both. A lot of benders have come out in support of the idea that the system is stacked against non-benders." Jinora closed the spyglass and secured it to her belt. "They're not wrong. But most of them aren't going to put themselves in the middle of a fight."

"So we need to show them that the Red Lotus only wants anarchy and that we're on their side."

Jinora nodded and stood. She smiled at Kai, then reached up to scritch at the beard on his jawline. "We need to expose them for who they are."

"How are we going to do that?"

Jinora tapped her finger on her nose. "We need to stop whatever is blocking the radio. Once news starts to get out again and people realize what's actually going on, we'll see a sea change on the ground."

"Okay," Kai replied. "What do you need me to do?"

"We need to find Varrick."

It proved to be easy - he was still in his office. Getting into the office was the hard part. There were seventeen layers of security and it took Jinora a solid five minutes to convince him that they were who they said they were. Jinora folded her arms as the door swiveled open. Varrick strolled out wearing a pair of pink goggles. The lens over his left eye dilated. "Well why didn't you say who you were?"

"We did, six times!"

Jinora put a calming hand on Kai's arm. "We need to shut down whatever is jamming the radio and get the news to report what's really going on."

"Oh! Well then you've come to the right place. That's the easy part. I think I have just the doohickey to solve your news broadcasting woes." He led them through his lab, then pulled open a large door and started to rustle through some equipment. "Say, have you heard from Korrasami?"

"Have we...what?" Jinora furrowed her brow.

Varrick straightened up, holding out an angular doohickey with assorted wires sticking out of it. "Korrasami. You know. Korra and Asami. I shortened it to Korrasami. Less syllables. More efficient."

"...Right." Jinora took the device from Varrick. "We haven't heard from them since the dam broke. What does this "doohickey" do?"

Varrick pointed up. "All you have to do is take it to the source of the interference press the big blue button and _presto_! You've countered the interference. You see, it works on matching Varrick-Waves with counter Varrick-Waves." He flapped his hand. "Very scientific. But that's the easy part. Getting to the source of the interference, now that's the hard part!"

"Where's the source?"

"The President's office!"

Jinora walked to the window and looked out. A red lotus airship rested above the President's office. "You don't think they've hurt her…?"

"What are you waiting for?" Varrick shoved her lightly. "Go find out!"

Leaping out the window, Jinora soared towards the office. Like many of the buildings in the new Republic City districts, it was a tall one, and the President's office took up the entire top floor and had the best view. Not as good as Future Industries, but Jinora was biased.

It was obvious something was wrong the closer they got. An audible thrum in the air gave Kai a headache and he found himself having difficulties staying aloft. He landed on the roof hard, absorbing most of the impact with a roll. By the time he was standing both him and Red Lotus soldiers were caught off guard. A whirlwind attack from Jinora sent the soldiers slamming into a wall. She deployed Varrick's doohickey, and the thrumming immediately stopped.

"There, lets go check on the President." She led Kai inside, and the two airbenders crept along the corridor towards President Tuyin's office. As they got closer, they could hear Tuyin's voice.

"Yes, everything is going as predicted. I just got word from our operatives in Harbor City, they've successfully deployed the bombs and the Chief and Council know what hit them. What about the Northern Tribe?"

There was a muffled response from whoever the President was talking to.

"He's dead? Finally, some good news. Keep me posted on the other sieges. I think our automatons have proven themselves." Tuyin hung up the phone, and walked to the window to look out at the city. Airships were still engaging other airships. She clenched her fists a she saw Avatar Korra's airship in the distance.

There was a sound on the roof, and then two figures flew past her window, and towards Korra's airship.


	12. Final Flights and Last Stands

Asami had found her wife in what was left of a Red Lotus airship, the Avatar standing proudly on the wreckage. Korra was starting to make a habit of that, but at least she didn't wreck _her_ airships. Blowing the engines not withstanding, but that had been for a good cause.

Their airship had been hastily repaired and one of Asami's new prototype engines bolted on the stern. With that added speed she didn't think they could be outrun this time. But the Red Lotus airships were equipped with similar engines. Perplexion had turned to fury after speaking with Jia on the phone and learning that Ai Li had betrayed her. She'd considered the woman a friend. They'd spent so many late nights brainstorming ideas and the whole time, the _whole time_ , Ai Li had been using that knowledge to hurt people. Asami would have to process that later. There was another revelation that required her attention.

Korra held up her hands. "The President is Red Lotus? I can't believe this." She dropped them back down, and started to pace. "Okay, so the radio is clear, we just need to get people to realize who the real enemy is."

"Yeah. That's not the only thing though." Kai ran his hands over the top of his shaved head. "She was talking about bombs in Harbor City. And that they killed someone in the Northern Water Tribe."

"Uh, maybe there's some news?" Bolin turned the radio on and started to dial through the channels.

 _"Chaos in Republic City! Red Lotus tanks have taken the downtown district, capturing benders and non-benders alike! We will have-" Click._

 _"-Harbor City this afternoon. Casualty numbers are still coming in and Chief Tonraq is reported missing but authorities have assured us that they have not given up the search. Reports from Zaofu and Ba Sing Se paint a similar grim picture as Red Lotus airships lay siege to both-" Click. "-ef Desna of the Northern Watertribe is reported dead after an attempt on his and Chief Esna's life. Chief Esna suffered undisclosed injuries in the same bombing that killed her brother and has sworn vengeance on those responsible. The Red Lotus claims responsibility for all of these attacks but no demands have been-"_

Mako clicked the radio off. He looked at Korra, who stood at the center of the Airship's control deck, a stunned expression on her face. Her father was missing. Her mother could be dead. Her cousin was dead. Granted she'd had her issues with him but he was still _family_. Korra glanced at Mako, heat radiating off of her body in angry waves. "If something happened to my dad I don't..."

"We don't know anything for sure," Asami murmured. She placed her hands on Korra's shoulders and squeezed until Korra's anger started to abate. "Worry about it when we have information to worry about."

"This isn't just their anarchy business. This is personal. They know he's family, they know my cousins are family. They want to unbalance me." She realized she _sounded_ unbalanced. She wanted to go into the Avatar State and unleash her full power on all of them. But she wasn't in danger, and the Avatar State wasn't something to be abused.

"We're here for you, Korra." Bolin put his hand over Asami's on Korra's back. Mako put his hand over Bolin's and nodded at Korra.

"Thanks guys." Korra forced a smile on her face for the briefest of instances, before settling into a determined expression. "Okay. First things first. We retake our city and send the Red Lotus running off with their tail between their legs."

Jinora rubbed her chin in a manner strikingly similar to her father. "Tuyin said something about automatons."

"When I took down that airship, there were only three people on it. It seemed like a small number but I figured they'd already dropped their mecha tanks and soldiers and didn't need a full crew."

"Automatons would explain why they're able to attack so many places at once," Asami said. She walked over to the airship controls. "And most reports seemed to indicate there are only a few soldiers, but a lot of tanks."

Bolin scratched his head. "But how would they even work? I mean in Nuktuk versus the Robotic Plague we were able to use some Mover Magic to make the machines look like they moved on their own but they still required people hidden inside them."

Asami smiled at him, though her expression was tense. "Find me one and give me some time with it. I have some ideas on power sources but nothing solid. I'll bet anything they're using radio signals and obviously they have to be communicating somehow. Wherever the leaders are they'd have to be close to coordinate so many airships, even without automatons. Maybe some kind of command ship."

"Well there's that big airship that's camped out Downtown," Kai suggested, peering out the window. "It's twice as big as the others. Bigger than this ship, even."

"Asami. Lets do this." Korra cracked her knuckles as her wife nodded and turned the airship towards the Red Lotus command ship. She pushed the engines to near max, and double-checked the controls for the prototype on the stern. She wanted full control of the engine when she'd need it. As they got closer, the true size of it became more and more apparent. It was at least twice the size of Korra's airship, and ringed with a dozen metallic tubes. Korra reached out, closing her eyes. Whatever they were, they were platinum. There had been similar constructs on the airship she'd downed.

"What's the plan?" Bolin asked.

Korra opened her eyes again and looked at her friends. They were her family as much as her parents were, and she was proud to have them at her back. "We jump ship. Kai, I need you and Jinora to stay here and guard our escape. The rest of us will keep them busy while Asami hot wires the command ship. Once we've got control, maybe we'll get some answers. Maybe we can even stop this invasion."

"I'm glad you think I can hot wire an airship under pressure," Asami said. She folded her arms and gave Korra a smug smirk.

"I know all our strengths." She nodded at Asami.

"We're getting closer," Mako warned.

The command ship was turning in the air, angling itself at a forty-degree angle to the Avatar's airship and displaying its entire side to them. They were close enough that Korra could make out figures on deck. She counted six people, and readied herself to airbend across to the other ship. Poofs of smoke appeared at the ends of three of the tubes. Thunder rumbled seconds later, and then heavy metal balls slammed into their airship, rocking it violently. Kai caught himself from falling on his face with a burst of air, and Asami's grip on the wheel tightened as she was nearly knocked over.

More puffs of smoke and rumbles of thunder, and a fourth ball sheared off one of the airship's stabilizers. For several tense seconds afterwards, there was nothing but the rattling of the airship as Asami fought to keep it in the air. Bolin lifted his head from where he'd dove for cover just every tube facing them thundered at once. Korra rushed forward, grabbing Asami and pushing her behind her. Glass cut at her cheek as the heavy projectiles crashed through the windows. The groaning and clanging of metal rang in her ears as the ship shook from the salvo. Korra checked back on the others and then looked up in time to see another dozen projectiles arcing towards them. She tried to bend them away but one still hit and the ship started to tilt to port.

Mako's voice rose over the sound of creaking metal and hissing air. "We're losing altitude!"

Pulling herself to her feet, Asami looked around at the state of her airship, a sad, determined expression on her face. Fire raged on a deck covered in debris and thick black smoke billowed into the air. There was no way this airship could take much more and still stay aloft. She glanced at Korra, then turned to the controls. "I'll get us there. We're not going to be able to stop, but I'll get us there." Asami pressed three buttons, and then she punched the throttle.

The ship strained and shuddered as it picked up speed, the new engine roaring like a dragon. Jinora gripped a railing tightly as the other airship loomed in front of them. More and more projectiles were fired at them, but they were moving so fast that nothing short of a collision or the ground would stop them.

"Jinora! Kai! Take Mako and Bolin and get out of here!"

At Korra's shout, Kai rushed forward, sweeping Bolin off of his feet and jumping through the shattered remains of the windows. Jinora was right behind him with Mako clinging to her back.

"Wait for it." Gritting her teeth, Asami struggled to keep the airship steady as more and more salvos slammed into it. An entire engine blew off and wind howled from a massive hull breach. Korra bent away as many of the projectiles as she could, but there wasn't much left to save.

"Asami, we need to get out of here!"

"Ten more seconds!" Asami locked the throttle in place, and pulled back on the wheel to try to regain altitude.

"No! We're going _now_!" Throwing Asami over her shoulder, Korra launched herself from the airship. It's bow collided with the other airship's starboard side, just aft of and below the control room. Metal screamed against metal and explosions shook both airships as Korra and Asami's airship cut the Red Lotus ship in half. The sky was bathed in red light as both ships became consumed in fire. The shock wave from a final massive explosion knocked Asami from Korra's grasp and both women plummeted towards the ground.

Korra grasped for Asami's wrist with one hand, forming a cushion of air on the ground with the other. Through it all, Asami's eyes remained locked on Korra's. Their descent slowed, and then stopped. Korra let go of Asami, then landed heavily next to her, kneeling on the ground. "Remind me to never fly again."

"Korra!" Asami brought a hand to her mouth, and touched gingerly at a bloody streak in Korra's side. "You're hurt."

She looked down at it, grimacing as the pain started to register. "I'll need some water and a safe place to heal. Can you help me up? I don't think I can stand on my own right now."

As Asami reached to help Korra up, an impact knocked her off of her feet. She landed hard on her tailbone. Registering an attack seconds before it came, she rolled to the side and sprang up, narrowly avoiding a foot to the face.

Amaya stood between her and Korra, and her wife looked dazed. Asami lifted her fists, her glove crackling as the shadow bender angrily stared her down.

Fire scorched past Amaya and she pivoted on her heel as Mako unleashed a flurry of attacks. She countered the first few before she was distracted by an attack from Bolin. The brothers timed their attacks to keep Amaya off balance - when there wasn't fire headed her way she was forced to dodge or deflect a chunk of earth.

Her tattoos glowed like rubies and she brought her foot down on the ground. Rock shot up behind Mako and slammed into his back. Amaya swung her fists around and propelled Mako on the slab of rock right into Bolin. Digging in her heels, Asami prepared to defend herself. She kept her eyes on Amaya's, not daring to look at Korra less she alert Amaya to her wife's condition.

Mako pushed himself to his feet, then helped his brother up. The two moved between Amaya and Korra.

"Give up," Amaya ordered. Asami's shadow undulated and she lept back, narrowly avoiding being impaled by a tendril. She dodged more strikes, all to the sound of Amaya laughing. From the alarmed shriek Bolin made, Asami guessed that he and Mako were in the same kind of trouble.

She darted under twin burst of fire and shadow, rolling to position herself between Korra and their enemy. Bolin stepped to her left and in front of her, and Mako took the lead at their right. Behind them, Korra groaned. A breeze signaled the arrival of Kai and Jinora. Without looking back, Asami whispered. "Get her out of here. No matter what happens, no matter what you see or hear, you get Korra to safety."

"We will," Jinora promised.

"Running away won't save her for long." Amaya lifted her chin, and held one hand palm up. "I will finish what was started long ago."

"I don't get you," Mako replied, refusing to fall for her bait. "What's your endgame? Do you really believe the world would be better off without it's leaders? Without an Avatar?"

"Someone else would just come in and take over." Bolin kept his stance light, ready to move away from whatever attack might come. "Then you'd be fighting them. Take them out, and you'd fight someone else. When would you even have time to sleep?"

Amaya narrowed her eyes. "The Red Lotus gave me a place to belong. They showed me the world. Look around you. It this how we're supposed to live? People in poverty, a legacy of colonization and this constant undercurrent of conflict between those who were born with power and those who were not. Messing with the spirits, spirit portals, these are all things we never should have been allowed to do. We will return the world to the way it once was. Balance cannot be achieved without removing the one thing that keeps the world out of balance. Liberty cannot be achieved without giving every person an equal footing!"

Asami clenched her fists, her stomach sinking. "And what footing is that?"

Launching herself at the trio, Amaya swung her foot out in a wide arc, trailing fire between them. She burst through the flames, her foot connecting with Asami's jaw and sending her sprawling on the ground. Amaya landed, twisting her body around and slamming her palms into the ground. The pavement beneath Bolin's feet liquidized, but he had already jumped out of the way.

Mako and Amaya exchanged a furious set of blows with both fists and flame. Asami jumped to her feet and charged in, dropping down and sweeping Amaya's feet out from under her. Bolin lept over Asami, a gigantic slab of earth suspended over his head. He slammed it down, but Amaya was faster. She shoved the slab back at Bolin, pulling another slab up behind him. With one last push, she crashed Bolin into the second slab and dropped the first one on top of him.

With one bending brother out of the way, Amaya could concentrate her full fury on the other. Huge whips and walls of flame made it difficult for Asami to breath. She pulled back, searching for an opening or some way for her to help Mako. In her pouch was a small collection of gadgets. She didn't want to risk the electric orbs, not with Mako so close to Amaya, but she had a few other tricks up her sleeve. She'd developed a four pointed throwing star. A simple press to complete a circuit and it sparked. She peered over a fallen wall, and threw it at Amaya. It struck her in the shoulder and the electric charge rippled through her. The shadow bender dropped to one knee, her clothing smoking. Mako approached cautiously, and his shadow behind him rippled.

"Mako!" Asami's warning came too late. Amaya manipulated the shadows, bending them around Mako and thrusting him into the ground. Asami fumbled for her flash bombs, hoping to eliminate any shadows that could be a danger for her. Something wrapped around her leg and she was thrown into the air. It yanked her back towards the ground and the world went black.

"She's heavier than I thought she'd be," Kai said. He had Korra's right arm around his shoulder and Jinora had her left side.

"She's dead weight, that makes it worse. Bolin is heavier."

"I guess, but I was working on adrenaline then." He grinned at his girlfriend and shifted Korra's weight around on his shoulder. "And she's got more muscle mass."

"This is a good spot." Jinora pointed towards a building that looked like it had been bombed out. "I'll stay with Korra, you find her some water."

Her boyfriend nodded, and once they had Korra settled, he took off. Where in this mess he was going to even find any water, he wasn't sure, but there was enough burst pipes that it shouldn't take too long.

Korra groaned as consciousness returned. Her side protested any movement and she could still feel a piece of metal sticking from her skin. She tried to sit up, but Jinora made her lay still. She tried to look around anyway. She never was the best patient. "Where's Asami? Where are the others?"

"They're holding Amaya off. Kai is trying to locate some water for you. Stay still!"

"No.." Korra tried to sit up again. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused past the pain. She could see it clearly now. The shadowy figure that stood over Asami's body in her nightmares. From that first night years ago, and several times a year since. She's always feared it was a premonition. In the haze of her vision as she'd been carried away, she'd seen the shadows slip away from Asami's killer. "No you don't understand. I just realized it. My nightmares. It's a vision. Amaya is the one that kills Asami!"


	13. The Nature of Evil

**Thirty Years Ago**

Blood soaked the ground, and the little girl pressed her palms into the chest of her father. Her eyes were red and tears streaked her face as her father choked out the last of his breath. She looked up as the earthbender lifted giant slabs of rock over his head but she didn't move. Too scared, and too stubborn to leave her father. But the girl wasn't alone. Identical hands grasped either of hers, and three pairs of identical eyes watched in terror as the rock hovered in the air. But the triplets didn't join their father in death. Ice pierced their attacker from behind, and the rocks fell to the ground on either side of him. He stumbled once, and fell.

A woman approached them. A water-tribe woman, and in place of arms were tendrils of water. Through her fear, the girls felt a spark of wonder. A shorter man stepped around from behind their saviour. He had green eyes, and his hair was a thick and messy brown mop. He knelt in front of the girls. "Are you all right?"

Amaya straightened her back and stated, "We're fine."

The green eyed man nodded, and then pointed at the dead Earthbender, his tone gentle but firm. "This man abused his power. And because of him your parents are dead. What if there was a way to level the playing field. To give power back to the people?"

"They're just kids," the woman complained. "You don't need to give them the full speech."

He glanced back at her. "They need to hear the truth, more than any adult."

The sisters shared looks, and then began to whisper back and forth in a strange, hodgepodge language that the man couldn't understand. He'd heard of this. Identical siblings often developed a language of their own. It was Amaya who turned to him and spoke for the trio. "Would that make it hurt less?"

"Yes." He held out his hand, his smile inviting. "My name is Zaheer, and we are going to do something very special. Do you want to change the world?"

 **Twenty-Five Years Ago**

Fire, water, and earth were flung about the make-shift arena like something out of a pro-bending match. Amaya twisted through the air, dodging her sister's attack. She'd become the de facto leader of the triplets, and her mastery of fire was already impressive. She lashed out with a burst of flame, then landed in a crouch. Lihua landed in a similar position to her right, and Nuo to her left. Earth and Water to round out the sisters, and both were nearly as natural in their element as Amaya was in hers. Nuo cracked out with a sudden whip of water, feinting at Lihua but angling the attack at Amaya at the last second. Nuo stumbled back and Amaya tried to cut through the water with a spike of flame. The water hit her full in the chest and she landed on her back, skidding several feet.

The battle over, Lihua jogged over to her sister and offered her her hand. Amaya took it. "Good trick."

She glanced at the Red Lotus master watching them. Nuo shook her head. "Amaya, no."

The young firebender just smiled, and then pivoted on her heel and lashed out at their master. Predictably, a stream of water and rapid flurry of rocks joined her fire. The master flipped back, landing on the palms of her hands. Twin pillars of earth rose up with her as she sprang up, and in the same fluid movement the pillars shot through the air towards the girls. They knocked down Lihua and Nui and Amaya shot a look at them. When she turned her attention back to their master she got a facefull of mud and dirt.

The old woman approached them, clucking her tongue. "You must learn patience. Only once you learn patience can you transcend the here and now. Go and meditate on your failure today."

Patience. Always with the patience. Amaya struggled with patience. "I want to speak to Zaheer!" She brushed dirt off of her face. She knew that Master Jun was able to commune with the captured leader in the spirit world, and she wanted to learn how. She _needed_ to. The man had changed her life and she owed him everything.

"Patience. Meditate. Zaheer will come to you when you are ready, and no sooner. You must be spiritually attuned, and you are far from that."

 **Twenty Years Ago**

Patience. Patience. Always with the patience. Even her sisters had stressed the need to be patient, but she'd always suspected as though they were only here for her, rather than for their own needs. They weren't like her. They didn't understand, and they didn't believe. She loved them, they were her only family, but they'd never be on her level. She was fifteen and already she knew her destiny lay in changing the world.

But _patience_ The only time she felt any sort of patience was in meditation. It was the one time and the one place she felt she could relax, and let the weight fall off of her shoulder. It came easier with practice. She just hated the practice.

 _Do you want to change the world?_ The words had followed her for ten years. After Zaheer had been captured, Amaya had felt as though his destiny had fallen to her. She would change the world, she would bring about the end of those who made the defenseless suffer. For her family.

"Do you still want to change the world, Amaya?"

Her eyes snapped open. She was still sitting beneath a tree, but it was a different kind of tree. The world seemed to be far more colorful, and it felt less static. The sky seemed to waver like she was underwater. And she wasn't alone. Amaya looked up at a man standing before her. His hair was longer now, and going grey. He held his hand out. She didn't hesitate. She reached up and took it. "I want to change the world, Zaheer. I don't want people to suffer any more."

"You and your sisters have a great destiny before you, and you are not alone." He looked up at her, amused that she was already taller than him. "I have many lessons for you. The elements, history, why the regimes that choke the land have become so corrupt. But here, we will have all the time in the world."

Amaya swallowed her nerves. This was _it_! Of all the people he could have come to, he'd found her. "Where will we start?"

"Air. We will start with air. The elements start from air."

 **Thirteen Years Ago**

Amaya had made a mistake three years ago. She'd let herself get involved with another member of the order, and for a time it had felt as though she could have pursued a different life. But her ambition and her destiny meant she had to follow another path. But that mistake, and the son that had resulted from it was one she would do again.

He smiled up at her, and she knelt to pick him up. Her son was the future, and she would bring him a world of freedom. "Some day, little one, you'll live in a world where there is no one to rule over us but ourselves."

"Lesson time already?" Nuo chuckled.

"Brain washing," Lihua muttered, folding her arms and leaning her head over the back of her chair. Amaya pretended she hadn't heard that.

"If we teach them now, then the future will be a better place," she insisted. "Even if the Red Lotus fails, even if we fail, the next generation can carry on our work."

"Have you stopped and thought about all of this, though? Thought it through, I mean _really_ thought it through?" Lihua came over to take the boy from her sister. He squirmed in her grasp, and she put him down so he could play. She gestured at their surroundings. "Our lives are good. I'm _happy_. I forgot what that felt like. I met this girl in town, and-"

Amaya snorted. "We're happy, but other people are miserable. Including that girl of yours."

Before either of Amaya's sisters could respond, old Master Jun came running. "Girls! Girls! There is news on the radio! From Ba Sing Se!"

"What is it?" Amaya turned towards Jun.

The old woman's expression was one of pure jubilation. "The Queen is dead. Zaheer has killed her. It has begun!"

Every instinct in Amaya's body told her to get in the Sato-mobile and go to the city. To help her mentor and the people who'd changed her life. This was the time, this was what she'd trained for, prepared for.

"What should we do?" Nuo turned to her sisters.

Every instinct screamed at her, but she didn't move. "We stay put."

"But this is it," Nuo said. "They're free, this is the time!"

Amaya shook her head. "I want to go, but our place is here. If they fail, it will fall to us. If they succeed, they'll call for us. I've been training with Zaheer. We're his back up. When he calls for us, we go. And if he doesn't call for us, that means he's failed."

Lihua folded her arms, expression perplexed. "What do they hope to accomplish?"

The answer came to Amaya without her really needing to think on it. "Step one is to destabilize the governments. Step two is to end the Avatar cycle."

 **Six Years Ago**

It's almost time, he'd said. There was one lesson left. They were many, they would be strong, and like he promised they'd blot out the sun. The lessons had been many. Air and then water, then earth and finally her natural fire. Again, and again, in a loop like the Avatar cycle. And then had come the new techniques and knowledge. The bending of energy, the manipulation of shadows, how chi flowed through her body..

"We'll begin with your element. Fire."

Fire, air, water, earth. As always, Zaheer led Amaya through each of the elements and each of the forms. "Practice, study, train. You have already progressed farther than I could have ever hoped. But you will need time to master the techniques I'm about to show you. With them, you will succeed where I did not."

"It will also give the Red Lotus more time to prepare," she pointed out. "They're still in hiding.".

"They are but a tool, an instrument, a weapon. I've learned so much from my time in the spirit world." He touched her arm. "I see you've gotten the tattoos, as I instructed. Have you mastered the art of shadowbending yet?"

"The shadows do my bidding." Amaya moved her hands through the air, making their shadows dance. With the new Spirit Portal, training with Zaheer had gotten a lot more hands on and effective. "Just like controlling water, or fire."

"Energy. It's the basis of all the forms, a primordial force so ancient it predates humanity. Earth, fire, air and water. Light and shadow. With these gifts and this knowledge, you are almost ready. I've seen what you must do." He rested his hand on Amaya's shoulder. She looked at it. Frail, the skin hanging off the bones.

"What must I do?"

"I will show you how to share in your sister's bending, to bend their energy through you, and through these tattoos. And you, my daughter, will be the Avatar of Liberation."

 **Now**  
When Asami came to, the first thing she'd felt was how much pain she was in. She didn't think that she had any broken bones or serious injuries, but her entire body was sore from the battle and her head throbbed. She kept her eyes closed, listening to the sounds around her. She could feel the drone of an engine, the slight vibration felt through the deck, more noticeable than any Future Industries engine. There was something like turbulance, and Asami realized they were on an airship, and possibly skirting around a storm. She wondered how long she'd been out. She wondered if Korra was okay and what had happened to Mako and Bolin. A hatch creaked and she opened one eye in time to see Mako shoved through it. He stumbled forward and on instinct she went to catch him. Up close, she could see that his face was bloodied and bruised. A shadow loomed over her and she glared at Amaya, but the shadowbender's strong hand closed around her throat and she was pulled out of the cargo hold. The hatch swung shut, but not before she caught a glimpse of Bolin crawling towards his brother.

"What's going on, what did you do to Mako?" She rasped. Asami clawed at the hand around her throat. She could breathe, but barely. Amaya wasn't trying to choke her.

"He's stubborn. Must be the Earth Kingdom ancestry." Worse, their captor was strong. At least as strong as Korra, and she proved by by easily throwing Asami into a chair. She secured Asami with straps on her wrists and ankles.

Once Asami was secure, Amaya looked down at her, momentarily hesitating. But the hesitation didn't last long. "I want the Avatar. And I want my sister back. And you're going to help me get them."

Asami prepared herself for the pain she knew would come. "That's ludicrous. If you think for one hot minute I'm going to help you hurt Korra, you're crazier than I thought." Her head snapped to the side as Amaya backhanded her. She felt her cheek burn, and blood was warm on her lip. She glared at Amaya. "Korra is my wife and my best friend. She means more to me than my own life. You're really going to have to do better than that."

"If you want me to do better than that, then I guess I'll have to show you." Amaya searched through Asami's things. When she turned back to her prisoner, she was holding Asami's glove. She pulled it on and made a fist, smiling at the sparks. "I'll just bet this hurts." She grabbed one of the fingers on Asami's right hand Asami's fingers and snapped it back while simultaneously applying a charge.

Her scream echoed through the airship, ringing off of the metal plating and then reverberating through the cargo hold where Mako and Bolin were being held. Bolin dragged himself to the feet and rammed his shoulder into the door. He pounded his fist against the metal of the hatch. "Asami! Asami!" He slid back down to his knees. "Why can't I bend metal when I really, really need to?"

"It's okay, bro." Mako sat up, touching his nose tenderly. Asami screamed again, and he closed his eyes, trying to mentally brace himself. It wasn't actually okay but if he let it get to him they'd never be able to help her. "I've got a plan. I know you can't metalbend it, but what if you lavabent the metal?"

"There's no way." Bolin shook his head. "I can't find the earth in the metal to bend it, how can I heat it up?"

"I don't know. But maybe if I get it started…" Mako rubbed his palms together. They had to do _something_. "I'll firebend at the metal, and you take it from there."

Bolin kicked his heels on the deck. "Okay. Okay. We have to try." He glanced down at the deck, and at several bits of dirt. He lifted his foot to look at the bottom of his shoe. "Hey Mako. I've got an idea!"

"I always knew you were my favorite brother."

"How many more fingers can you afford to _break_?" Amaya hissed, her fingers tangled in Asami's hair and their faces inches from each other. "Or should I start cutting them off, would that convince you that you're on the wrong side of history?"

"I won't help you." The pain made it difficult for Asami to focus. Even breathing hurt - she was certain a rib was bruised and there were burns where Amaya had zealously applied shocks. "Even if Korra wasn't my wife, I wouldn't help you. She's the Avatar, her life is more important than mine."

She couldn't bear to look at her right hand, but she could feel her bonds loosening. As long as Amaya didn't notice, Asami might stand a chance and be able to break free. "You're just hurting me because you enjoy it. We both know it."

"I'm not." She shoved Asami's head back against the chair and stormed away. "You wouldn't understand. You're part of the elite, the power structure. You haven't seen what it does to regular people. The suffering we face every day."

"My family built what we had from nothing!" Asami tested how well bolted down her chair was. It wriggled.

"But you grew up without knowing what nothing is like. You're just a spoiled rich girl who's bedding the Avatar. When have you _ever_ known tragedy? When have you looked death in the eye?"

Asami stared at her, suddenly angry, then shook her head. "You're so far into your own martyrdom that you can't see that everyone has problems. My mother died when I was little. I watched my father die fighting Kuvira. Mako and Bolin grew up orphans on the streets. Korra was nearly _destroyed_ by the man you idolize. We've all known tragedy!"

The electric glove sparked again, and this time Amaya brought it towards Asami's face. She closed her eyes, trying to turn away, just as the smell of burnt metal reached the control room.

As soon as Amaya turned towards the direction the smell was coming from, Asami planted her feet and strained as hard as she could. The bolts snapped and she twisted her body, slamming the chair into Amaya just as the Mako burst into the room. The two firebenders held nothing back, and their attacks set most of the controls on fire. Ducking under a fire jab, Amaya grabbed for a control and pulled a lever. A hatch swung open on the starboard side. Amaya struck Asami with a water whip, and knocked her through the sudden opening.

Mako rushed to the hatch as Asami fell out but she was gone before he could grab her. The weather was cloudy and grey and the water below was obscured by mist. Without hesitation, he grabbed a life preserver and dove out of the airship.

Looking at the now empty hatch, and then at the incensed woman who looked like she was trying to choke him via telekinesis, Bolin quickly decided that retreat was the safer option "It's probably safer out there, isn't it." There was a yellow package marked emergency on the wall, so he ripped that down and jumped out after Mako, fire licking at his back.

Jerking the lever hard and locking the hatch closed, Amaya leaned heavily against it and looked at the ruin of the control room. There were blood stains on the floor from her torture of Mako and Asami. Amaya looked at her hands, then ripped the glove off and threw it aside so that she could deal with the fires, and not think about what she'd done. Or think about how she'd have done it again if given the chance. "We will make the world better. My son will never bow to another man. We will liberate the people, whether they want to be free or not. We have to. We _have to_."

Or else her life would have been for nothing.

It felt like hitting a wall, and all the breath was knocked from Asami's body as she shock of the impact sapped her strength. She started to sink like a stone, and struggled to break free of the heavy chair she was still half strapped to. The surface seemed to fade more and more out of view and panic flooded through her limbs. Korra wasn't here to bend the water away this time. Korra was far, far away but at least she was safe. Asami stopped thrashing as that thought settled in her heart. Korra was safe. Korra was _safe_. She hadn't lied when she said that Korra mattered more than her own life. Not the Avatar. _Korra_. And certainly the Avatar was important and Korra couldn't exist without the Avatar, but it was Korra that she focused on. There had always been a part of her that wouldn't have been able to move on if she'd lost her.

Asami had very nearly resigned herself to her fate when hands broke the bonds and Mako's face materialized in front of hers. Water boiled beneath Mako's feet as he jetted them back to the surface. Asami clung to him, sputtering and coughing, her head spinning from a sudden influx of air. He fixed the life preserver under Asami's arm, holding onto part of it to keep himself afloat. Asami rested her head on it, closing her eyes again as she realized that she wasn't actually going to drown.

"Guys! Guys! Maaaako!"

Craning his head, Mako saw a peculiar yellow boat bobbing in the waves. Bolin used his hands to paddle towards them, and together they helped Asami into the boat.

"What is this thing?" Mako pushed his hand against the bottom. It was some kind of rubber material.

"Inflatable raft," Asami said. She didn't move from where she'd sprawled out. Her hair fanned around her head, drifting lightly in the thin layer of water that had gotten into the raft. When she'd been in the dam break, she'd known Korra would save her. It hadn't really hit her how close she'd come to dying. But they were in the middle of the ocean and Korra wasn't here. She'd almost drowned. She'd expected to. She tried not to think about it, or she'd panic again. "Varrick's invention, actually."

Bolin looked proud of himself for grabbing it. He scooted closer to Asami and tried to get a look at her hand. She pulled it protectively close to her body, and her voice was light and a little distant. "She broke three fingers. Shocked me a few times. Are you guys all right?"

"Nothing I haven't been through before," Mako assured her. "But we need to set your fingers until we can get you to a healer."

Asami swallowed the fear she felt and nodded. "Okay." The thought of losing full function in her hand had already occurred to her but now that she was out of immediate danger and she was coming to terms with nearly drowning, the fear for her hand was rearing it's head. "I trust you both."

Tearing at his sleeve, Bolin started to produce strips they could use to wrap around Asami's hand, while Mako carefully positioned them. They didn't have much they could use as a splint, but he used Bolin's strips to bundle up each finger individually. Then he wrapped several more to hold everything in place. Finally, Bolin held up a make-shift sling, and helped Asami sit up so she could get it on.

She grit her teeth and tried to get through it, but every time she made a pained sound, Bolin flinched. When the ordeal was finally over, she leaned against him and wiped at her cheeks and eyes with her other hand. "Thanks…"

"You don't think we're going to float into a storm, do you?"

Mako shook his head at his brother. "I don't know. Maybe. Or maybe she was just skirting the edge of it. There weren't any other people on board that I could tell. She must be using more of that automation. It's pretty calm right now, just misty."

"Maybe we're close to shore." Asami tried to remember what she could from the control room. There had been several maps with numerous pinpoints, but without knowing which direction they'd gone, she didn't know which one had been their destination.

"Wishful thinking." Grimly, Mako took stock of their situation. An earthbender and firebender in the middle of the ocean. It was almost laughable.

"Bolin, can you… feel land in any direction?" Maybe they were too far away, or maybe they were close enough for an earthbender to be able to feel it.

"I don't think it works that way. Not with all this ocean between me and the seabed."

"A ship might never come in this direction. Or we could be stranded for days. Weeks."

Dazed, and still reeling from pain and shock, Asami tuned the men out. The sky was clearing, little by little, but her vision was hazy. She thought she saw a spirit drifting aimlessly, and she lifted her left hand, finger pointing at it. It resembled a bearded dragon and when it looked at her something about it felt familiar. Like she'd met it once before.

 _West_.

"West?"

Asami's voice started Bolin and Mako. They looked at Asami, who just shrugged. "West. We need to go west… a.. spirit told me." But when she looked up, the spirit had moved on. "At least… I think one did."

"Okay," Mako said, moving to the rear of the raft. "West it is." Maybe he couldn't bend water, but fire bender jet propulsion was the next best thing. He couldn't keep it up constantly, but with short bursts they started to make good time. Asami dozed for the better part of an hour, her head in Bolin's lap. After several hours, land came into view. Exhausted, Mako collapsed against the back of the raft. "We're so close, but I just… I need a break."

Asami shielded her eyes. "You earned it. But I think I know where we are. Dad used to take us here on vacation, and I took Korra here once. That's Ember Island!"


	14. The Chiblocker

The shore was so close now, and yet it took almost an entire hour before they finally washed up on the beaches of Ember Island. Mako needed the rest, and could only give them the occasional burst to keep them moving towards land. But by the time they stepped out of the yellow raft he thought he had regained some of his energy.

Bolin helped Asami out of the raft while Mako surveyed the beach. It was mostly devoid of people. The sky was overcast and the sand turned to mud from rain. He looked back towards the ocean and the way they'd come. In the distance, the skies were even darker and wind was starting to pick up and push the waves. He was certain he'd managed to push them ahead of another storm. He didn't like to think about what their odds would have been if the storm had caught up to them. He opted to not share that thought with the others.

"Some vacation spot," Asami said, taking in the view. She was pretty sure that this beach had been the one that she and Korra had sunned themselves on a few years ago. "I don't think I've ever been on Ember Island during a storm before."

"We should find shelter, and help." Mako started off at a jog, and Asami shared a look with Bolin before following him. Three people washing ashore was unusualy, and there might be questions that they wouldn't want to answer. There was no telling if anyone on Ember Island was with the Red Lotus or not, but Asami didn't want to find out. They might have fallen from one trap and right into another.

But Korra was at the forefront of her mind. "And a radio. Korra must be so worried."

There was a large, two story beach house, high up on stilts. It was lavishly designed in Fire nation style and didn't look like a typical tourist home. It clearly belonged to a local. Mako started towards the stairs and a girl suddenly swung down from a railing and hung upside down in front of Mako.

She was about nine or ten, with long, jet-black hair, and a gap in her front teeth. She looked at them with intelligent and eager golden eyes. "Are you mermaids? Gran says mermaids come from the sea and you came from the sea. You're kinda weird looking for a mermaid though and I've never heard of a mermaid in a yellow shell though." She straightened her legs, dropping to the ground and rolling acrobatically. Bouncing up, the girl planted her hands on her hips and decided they looked even weirder from this angle.

Asami stifled a giggle behind her hand when the girl told them they looked weirder from that angle. "We're lost. Do you think maybe your Gran could help us?"

"Sure! She's on the roof." The girl cupped her hands together and shouted, "GRAN! THE MERMAIDS WANNA TALK TO YOU!"

A head of wild white hair peered over the edge of the roof, and then to Mako's horror and dismay the old woman did a handstand before swinging her body over the edge. She latched onto a gutter pipe and slid down it. The woman that landed in front of them was thin and wirey, wearing pink shoes, a red tunic and a billowy pair of pink pants. She landed in a stoop, then groaned as she straightened. Her voice sounded more fragile than she looked. "Oh I'm going to feel that in the morning. Now what's this about mermaids, Rei?"

"I think she means us," Mako said. "Miss..?"

The old woman looked at each of them in turn. When her eyes centered on Asami, her face lit up. Spry didn't begin to describe the woman as she bounced past Mako and right up to Asami, seeming to ignore the others in her focus on the other woman. Asami watched curiously as the old lady took her uninjured hand and patted it. She was a good six inches shorter than Asami, even without a slight stoop to her posture.

Her hands squeezed over Asami's, and her voice cracked with emotion. "It's so _good_ to see that aura again. Has it _really_ been so long? Thirty-one years, almost! Your aura, so pure, and so clean! Such a beautiful golden glow. Not pink, no, rarely pink, but such a beautiful glow."

Asami stared at the woman in confusion, then looked up at Mako, then back down at the woman who was clearly starting to tear up. Suppressing a panicked flail, Asami squeezed her hand. "I uhm. Thank you?" A glowing aura was good, right?

"My eyes might be old, but I'd recognize that aura anywhere." She stepped back, finally letting Asami's hand go. "My name is Ty Lee, and I just know you were meant to find me."

Bolin started making hand signals at his brother as though trying to say _Ty Lee it's Ty Lee do you realize it's Ty Lee do you even know do you even know!_

Mako waved his hands to try to get Bolin to calm down. He had his own set of questions. Did Ty Lee know what she knew about what chi-blocking had become, or how she'd ended up on Ember Island with a young girl. Or what she meant by Asami's aura.

Ty Lee took Asami's hand again. "We best get inside before the storm comes. I'll call up a healer, it looks like you've been through a lot. Oh, I've got so many memories coming up. I should tell you about the time I accompanied Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang on an accidental spirit cleansing. Poor Zuko wasn't able to sit comfortably for a week!"

Ty Lee's home looked as well lived in inside as it did outside. There were colorful tapestries hanging off of the wall, circus memorabilia, and other things from Ty Lee's long life. Bolin was drawn to Kyoshi Warrior armor displayed on a dummy. It looked pristine, meticulously kept in perfect condition. The dummy's head had even had a mask placed on it that was painted with traditional Kyoshi face paint. He squeezed his hands into fists and barely contained a high pitched sound. "This is so _awesome!_ " This was his life. His life was awesome! He'd met Katara and Zuko and _TOPH_ and now Ty Lee and okay there wasn't many of the original Team Avatar left but he'd nearly collected the whole set!

"Cool it, Bro." Mako said. He was looking around as well, but little Rei kept following him around. She tugged at his sleeve. "Uh…" He patted her head, unsure of how to deal with her attention. She was cute, for a kid.

"You're not really a mermaid are you." She looked _incredibly_ put out by this realization. "You're some kind of fake mermaid. False advertising!"

"I never said I was a mermaid, kid! You just kind of assumed that."

"Well, you could have corrected me sooner, now you made me look like a fool!" She threw up her hands and stormed off.

Chuckling at Mako's predicament, Asami moved around the living room. Aside from the copious evidence of Ty Lee's adventursome life, there were hints of someone else's influence. A subtle touch that permeated the very floorboards and walls of the home. The choices of reds to offset all the pink and decorations that didn't quite seem to match Ty Lee's aesthetic. Fire Nation royal symbols etched into the wood. Asami passed the hearth, and then stopped. There were many pictures there, faded by age but well cared for. Some of them were recent, but most of them were decades old. Asami looked through them.

There was Fire Lord Zuko and Mai, holding a young Izumi. The original Team Avatar. Avatar Aang with a goofy smile on his face and baby Bumi on his knee. Several of Ty Lee and the Kyoshi Warriors. There had to be nearly a hundred years worth of memories on this mantle.. And there was another face too, always apart even in group shots. Azula when she was not much older than Asami had been when she'd first met Korra. Azula again, years later at Asami's current age with distant eyes and then Azula a decade later. Another one with Ty Lee squeezing Azula in an enthusiastic hug. They looked like they were closer in age to Tenzin, then. Asami rested her fingers on the mantle, not knowing what to think about the woman. She only knew what was written in the history books, and from one time when Tenzin had shared story time with everyone. There were a lot of contradictory stories, but by all accounts she'd disappeared for a quiet life away from everyone, a victim of her father like so many others. Zuko's hand in history, perhaps painting a kinder picture of his sister than was really necessary.

"She never quite got better, you know." Ty Lee's voice startled Asami. Gnarled hands picked up the picture with the two women hugging. "But she _tried_. At first just to win me back, I think. But she had to heal for herself, she had to face the demons, both those forced on her and the ones she created herself, before I could even begin to trust her again. And I don't know if Mai ever truested her, not entirely. It kind of took a lot of coaxing from Zuko to let Azula see her niece, but that turned out well."

"That's what family does," Bolin said. He thought back to Amaya and her sisters, and how they'd been willing to die for her. "They help each other, they heal each other. Family shouldn't be ruled by fear."

"Even the family that isn't related by blood," Asami murmured. Her family had shrunk, and then grown again, thanks to Korra and the others.

"If fear is the only way to get someone to love you, is that really love?" Ty Lee placed the picture back, then rocked on her heels. "The day she died, Azula asked me if I was still afraid of her."

"Were you?" Mako asked.

"No." She shook her head. "When we were young, Azula was a different kind of woman. A very unwell one. It took her the rest ofl her life to come to terms with that, and even then we both knew that she would never make up for the things she'd done in just _one_ lifetime." Ty Lee touched Mako's shoulder as she passed him. "But no, I stopped being afraid of her when I realized I was the one that held all the power between us. If I had told her to leave and never return, she would have."

Asami glanced at the pictures again. It was obviously what Ty Lee had implied, and connecting the Aura comments with the multiple lifetime comments was making Asami come up with a sum she wasn't sure she was ready to think about. "I actually have like a thousand questions all of a sudden, but we really need to make contact with Republic City. Korra was hurt, and the entire Republic was in disarray"

"I tried, right after I called the healer." Ty Lee settled into a comfortable looking chair. "I couldn't get through, I don't know if it's the storm or if it has anything to do with the siege. I was able to reach Crater City. The new Firelord has her hands full there, I don't think they'll be able to send any help. I couldn't reach a friend in the Earth Republic, either, and all news from the Water Tribes stopped two days ago."

Sinking into a couch, Asami hugged her stomach with her good arm. "So we have no way of contacting Korra until at least the storm passes, and that's if we're lucky and the Red Lotus isn't blocking the radio."

"Maybe we should go to the capitol," Mako suggested. "They could use our help and I did tell Azula I'd try to help her any way I could. They'd have stronger transmitters, too."

"That's not a bad idea," Asami agreed.

"Can I go?" Rei bounced over to Ty Lee. "Please Gran? I haven't seen my dad in _forever_!"

Ty Lee pulled the girl into her lap. "Your dad is busy defending our country and helping your aunt."

"Aunt?" Mako started. "Wait. Wait."

Ty Lee laughed. "I'm not supposed to say anything but I think I can trust Team Avatar of all people. Rei is General Iroh's daughter." She ruffled Rei's hair. "Now, the healer should be here soon and we'll get a good look at your injuries, then it's a warm meal and bed. For all of you." She fixed them all with a stubborn glare. "No exceptions, I remember what I was like at that age."

Even Mako had to agree that it was impossible to argue with the woman. For all her reputation as a ditz, she was a lot sharper than anyone had ever told him. Once the healer arrived, he made sure that Asami got looked at first, then went into the kitchen to help Ty Lee with the meal. He was too wired to just sit there, even though his body was running down. It went well, until Rei realized he was dating her aunt and she started badgering him with questions until Ty Lee made her go to bed.

He watched Rei sulk up the stairs, then turned to Ty Lee. "You know,she seems like a handful, the scary thing is I think I actually want one of those."

"She's a lovely child. Most days. But that can be said of just about any child." Ty Lee smiled fondly. "It took all of us to raise Izumi. Sure, she is.. was… the calm, steady type, but when she was younger she was a little terror. Now, her daughter inherited the family stubborness, but she was always a bit more like Mai than Izumi."

Mako chuckled. "I'll take that as a warning."

"As well you should."

The healer was good, as far as healers went. Asami had a slightly warped view of water healing, between being married to the Avatar and having seen Katara in action, so her general exposure to the skill had been to experts.

But broken bones were a 'simple matter' according to the healer. Asami still worried, though. It wasn't that she didn't trust the healer. It was just that short of losing Korra or their friends, her greatest fear was be losing the ability to tinker and work. Asami spent most of the night torn between worrying about her wife and worrying about her hand. She didn't really have the energy to worry about the situation past that and was too exhausted from the day to give it much thought. Despite how tired she was, she ended up tossing and turning most of the night.

It was still dark when she gave up on sleep, and exited the small room she'd ended up sharing with Rei. Mako and Bolin were asleep in another room, and she quietly slipped past Ty Lee's room, not wanting to wake her. Rain pattered at the roof and a light wind knocked at some shutters. Asami secured the shutters, then opened the door and stepped outside. The chill in the air sank right through her night gown and into her skin, but the view was spectacular.

The ocean looked wild, wind whipping up the waves into frothing white caps. Lightning flashed in the distance and the clouds churned in the night sky. Somewhere on the other side of this storm and far away was Korra, with Republic City in danger. There was nothing she could do, not here and not right now. She wished she could have gotten a better look at Amaya's airship. She should have taken the time to pick through the airship that Korra had wrecked. Maybe there would have been more answers. She desperately wanted to learn how they ran the airships with so few people. Asami hadn't needed anyone for the last flight of her own ship, but that had been a short, one way trip.

It would be hours before daylight, and probably some more after that before the storm had passed. Then they could try again to reach Korra. Asami didn't hold much hope for the idea. Even if Kai and Jinora had disabled the block on transmitters, it was likely that the Red Lotus had put it back up, and the rest of the world seemed to be just as cut off. It was like the days a hundred years ago.

She stepped back inside and closed the door, jumping when lightning illuminated a figure on the stairway. She calmed down when she realized it was Ty Lee. "Oh! You startled me."

"Couldn't sleep either?" Ty Lee finished coming down the stairs, and made her way into the kitchen. "Usually I'm up early anyway, but I never could sleep through a storm." She smiled as she got down a tea-kettle. "Suki never really understood it, but she tolerated it. Mai understood."

"Lightning?" Asami guessed.

"Mmhm." Ty Lee fell silent as she went through the ritual of preparing morning tea. She wanted to make sure she had the right words, for what she wanted to say. "We associated lightning with Azula, for a long time. It was only natural. It was one of her signature moves and she never lost the ability to control it."

Asami winced. "I'm sorry, but she doesn't really sound like a nice person."

Ty Lee laughed. "No, no she wasn't." With the water boiling, she took down two cups. Once everything was settled, she carried a tray into the living room and set it on a table. The table was covered in a rich red table cloth, and the tea-set was meticulously painted porcelain. She gestured for Asami to sit, then sat down herself. "People can change, you know. Sometimes for the worse, and other times for the better. But that core, that defining center of who we are, that doesn't change, not entirely. And inside of Azula, deep down, was a good person."

Pouring the tea for both of them, Asami settled back in her chair and looked down into her cup. "It's natural to want to look for the best inside of a person. Every enemy we've faced wasn't always evil. Toph once told Korra that they'd simply crossed a line and gone too far. Amaya and the Red Lotus, what they wanted isn't entirely bad. But they're willing to destroy everything and hurt people to get what they want."

"You can't excuse their actions, just like I can't excuse Azula's. But…" She gestured towards the window. "It was a storm like this. I couldn't sleep, and Azula woke up from a nightmare. We sat, much like you and I are now, and we talked. She asked - demanded, really - me to tell her why I was still there. Why I hadn't abandoned her like everyone else had. She loathed herself, you know. More than she hated anyone else, she hated herself."

"What did you tell her?"

"The truth. She'd hurt me, many times. I even listed them out. I told her about how she'd hurt Mai, and Zuko. I reminded her of her attacks against Team Avatar. All these things that she'd done for her father. She needed to understand her actions and the parts she'd played and the consequences." Ty Lee paused, lifting her cup up and taking a sip. She placed it back down. "The younger Azula, the one I'd grown up with, would have lashed out. Attacked me with words or threatened me with fire. Instead, she deflated. And she looked at me and wished she could be better, because she didn't deserve anyone's forgiveness or sympathy."

Asami tried to picture the haughty Fire Princess admitting defeat or giving up. It was tough to imagine. "But you said she never got better."

"She never healed completely, no. Her demons haunted her until the very end. But she did get _better_. With determination, and patience, and by pushing herself to her limits and beyond. And a little firm guidance when she needed to be reminded of where the line was."

"What would you have done? If she'd hurt you again. On purpose I mean, I don't mean any accidents." Asami had once gotten a bruised lip when Korra had thrashed during a nightmare, but that hadn't been Korra's fault and she'd never held it against her.

Ty Lee sounded proud of her answer. "I'd have left, or kicked her out and she knew it. I loved her. _I loved her so much_." Her voice wavered. "But my own health was important too and it wasn't like I didn't have places to go if I had to. Zuko had a space for me. The Kyoshi Warriors, too." There had been a time when she would have given into anything Azula demanded. The day she'd saved Mai's life had been the first day she'd done something on her own, and she'd never wanted to go back to the way things had been before. Not even to keep Azula in her life. So there had been _terms and conditions_. "But If there was a bad day, and there were more than a few, Azula would put space between us. Not just to avoid physical hurts, but also emotional ones. Sometimes words can't be taken back."

It sounded like it had worked for them, and Asami was rarely one to judge. She couldn't ever imagine not feeling safe around Korra, though. Or being afraid of constantly walking on broken glass or egg-shells. But it made her think, that if there was a chance they could reason with Amaya, they should try. "Do you think anyone is redeemable?"

"No." Ty Lee shook her head, voice firm. "You never met Ozai, you've only read about him, but he was a monster, through and through. Maybe when he was a little boy, he wasn't one, but his father and grandfather twisted him into something _terrible_ , and by the time Avatar Aang defeated him, he was too far gone, at least for this life time."

That made sense. Asami nodded, gripping her teacup tighter. "You said something like that yesterday. Do you really think I'm Azula's reincarnation? That people other than the Avatar can reincarnate?"

"Yes!" Straightening up, Ty Lee could barely contain her enthusiasm. "The Avatar is the only one that can remember their past lives, though with the right kind of meditation I think a spiritually aware person could remember flashes and hints. But we all reincarnate. Some of us have more to make up for than others, so it may take many, many life times."

She touched Asami's hand, her eyes soft. "Azula, in her life, hurt people. She was insensitive to most others feelings. She let her father twist her and she used fear to control her friends and abuse her brother. She was fourteen and already well on the way to turning into her father and she came damn close to the point of no return. She spent the better part of 40 years trying to overcome that part of her once she wanted to and was ready to change. But you, I look at you, and at the way you interact with your friends. I look at the things I've read about your Team Avatar in the news, at this great company you run and at the kind of woman who didn't become what her father might have turned her into. Your life could have followed Azula's all over again, or worse. But because you're who you are, it didn't. The sum of your life experiences and the influence of the people around you have created a compassionate loving woman, worthy of the heart of our Avatar."

Asami thought that her life could have taken a different turn. What if her father had let her in on the Equalists. What if he had been killed instead of her mother? How would her life had turned out different and what would have happened if she'd been a different person. But Ty Lee's words shook her out of that thought and the compliments made her face heat up.

Ty Lee lifted a finger and waggled it playfully. "And your aura is suddenly very pink."

"I thought it was gold."

"Most of the time." Ty Lee laughed.

Asami didn't know if any of this actually would help with their current situation. But she'd seen Korra find a way to reach Kuvira, once. And if they could reach someone like Kuvira, maybe they could end this without more bloodshed. But she honestly didn't know if Amaya would listen. Or what they'd do if she didn't.

"Everything will happen as it's meant to," Ty Lee assured her. "And in the end, the good guys usually win."

"It just hurts so much while we try to get there. I really thought Korr-we'd paid out our sweat and blood already. Because we don't always win. Sometimes we lose."

"I've got a good feeling, Asami. All will turn out good in the end."

She smiled, and hoped that Ty Lee's good feeling was accurate.


	15. Lull

Even after the storm had passed, it was clear that communication had been cut off entirely. It was still impossible to reach anyone in Republic City. They could no longer reach the Fire Nation and both the Water Tribes remained conspicuously silent.. The complete radio silence made Mako nervous. He pulled his brother and Asami outside, folding his arms as a chilly breeze blew in from the sea. He did a few breathing exercises to keep warm.

"What is it?" Bolin leaned back against a railing on the porch.

"I feel like we're missing something really important. I'm worried about Korra, and Azula. I wish we could be in two places at once. But we can't just stick around and just hope that everything will be okay."

"Some day I'll invent a way to do that. Be in two places at once," Asami said, her face almost entirely serious. "I wish we could contact Korra. I want to know if she's okay, and she might know where we're actually needed the most. It hurts to say it, but if we're needed more in the Fire Kingdom or one of the Water Tribes, then that's what we should do."

Bolin straightened up, looking between the two of them. "Couldn't we try to contact Korra through the Spirit World? Or Opal or Jinora? I'm really worried about them. Opal's going to kill me for being gone so long."

"I don't know if you've noticed, Bolin, but none of us are all that spiritual." Asami put her hand over his on the railing. "I wouldn't know where to begin and I've watched Korra meditate. But it was a nice suggestion."

"You're right." His face fell. "I guess it was a dumb idea."

"It wasn't a dumb idea. We just don't have anyone that's all that spiritually attuned."

"What about Ty Lee?" Mako suggested. "She's not a bender but she's experienced and she's seen a lot."

Asami shook her head. "Chi-blockers specialize in blocking off chi, I don't think that helps when we need to connect to the spirits. I once found a book of their techniques, when I was cleaning out dad's office. It's disciplined, but maybe not in the right kind of way that makes it easy to cross over to the Spirit World."

"And by the time we try to go to the North Pole, it would have been faster to just go straight to Republic City by boat or air and that's assuming we don't get lost on the side side before we get to the Republic City portal." The inaction was frustrating, and Mako wanted to get moving now that they were rested.

"Split up."

The trio looked at Ty Lee, who was standing in the doorway to her home. She smiled, and gestured at them. "Two of you go one place, the other go the other."

"That's not a bad idea." Asami didn't have to think it over very long to figure out where Ty Lee's thoughts were going. "I know the transmitters in Republic City by memory, I can probably get them back up, and if the Red Lotus is controlling them I'll have a lot of help. Korra, Chief Beifong, the airbenders…" She nodded her head at Mako. "And the Fire Lord could use your help and emotional support. She has to hold her people together while mourning her mother and grandfather."

A wry smile crossed Mako's face. Once, Korra had nudged him at Asami because she'd needed support and now Asami was nudging him towards Azula. "You might be right."

Bolin held up his hands. "I'll go to Ba Sing Se. We've got friends there and there's all those people I was trying to help get a roof over their heads and someone has to make sure they're okay and it might as well be me."

"Are you sure about that, bro?"

He nodded firmly. "Yeah. Yeah I am."

Ty Lee regarded them all as they spoke, feeling a twinge of her own grief for Zuko. Then she glanced back inside. "I'm glad that's settled, but there's one more thing. I'd like one of you to take Rei away from Ember Island. It's only a matter of time until the Red Lotus comes for her, and with you three here it might give them the idea to look. They can't be allowed to find her."

"I could take her to Republic City," Asami volunteered. Rei was adorable and she wouldn't mind getting to know her better. "She'd be safe with Tenzin. There isn't really any place I can think of that's not dangerous right now anyway."

"She could be safer with her aunt." Bolin looked at his brother, and cocked his head. "You could take her with you. They've got a ton of guards on the Fire Lord now and we rooted out the terrorists, plus she totally likes you."

"Putting all the royal family in one place is like painting a target on their backs. But it's probably also fairly secure, compared to some other places." Mako punched his fist into his palm. "But we don't know that for sure and we won't until we get there."

"With Iroh abdicating, the throne would fall to her if something happened to Azula." The danger that Rei was in made Asami sick to the stomach. She was just a child, ten years at the oldest, and the Red Lotus wanted her _dead_. They were monsters. "Whatever we do we have to be careful, for Rei's sake."

Ty Lee clapped her hands together, once. "Well, is she safer with her family, or with the Avatar and the airbenders?" She studied them after she spoke.

"This feels like a damn _coin_ toss," Mako complained.

"Lets figure out how we're going to get transportation, and we can discuss what to do with Rei while we're planning." Ty Lee beckoned them back inside. "And don't give me that look. I may be old but I'm not fragile. I can travel."

Mako headed inside, followed by Asami and then Bolin. Ty Lee looked suddenly tense, and he didn't say anything as it was obvious she had more to say.

Ty Lee worked her jaw for a moment after closing the door behind them, her attention focused on the wall. When she looked at them again, her eyes were watery. When she spoke, her voice cracked, the weight of decades behind it. "I'm alone now. Mai's gone. My Azula passed away so long ago and now Zuko. We lost Sokka and Aang so young and then Katara and all my sisters. I've been many things in my life. I was a bad guy then a bodyguard and I like to think once that I became one of the good guys. I can make a difference _one last time_."

Asami shared a look with the brothers. On a fundamental level she understood. In Ty Lee's place, if Korra had died, and she'd lost Mako and Bolin and she was the only one left. And if there was nothing more for her to do, she'd want to do whatever she could to help those who came after in the following generations. Raising Rei had become Ty Lee's last duty for her old friends, but that time was coming to an end.

It was Bolin who responded first, by lifting Ty Lee up in a gentle-for-him hug. "Toph's still kicking! Maybe you could see her again."

"I think I'd like that. Suki too." Ty Lee patted his shoulder, and laughed. The lines on her face had been _made_ by laughter and even as she'd realized how alone she was, she'd also realized that she wasn't. New friends and the spirits of the old ones looking down on her.

Bolin set her back down. "I don't think anything could possibly kill Toph. I wonder if I can find her and get her to help too."

"I don't know," Ty Lee said. "If someone taunted her about picking up a mountain she'd probably die trying."

Korra peeled back the bandages to get another look at her side and grimaced. "Well that's better than it was." It had bled pretty badly, but the healers had done their best, and Korra's own healing had supplemented them.

"You were lucky it missed something vital." Kya's weak voice came from a bed nearby, and Korra walked stiffly around a cart to reach her. Kya lay popped up slightly by pillows. Under the sheet, Korra knew she was heavily bandaged, healers having to change her dressings every few hours.

"I'm the lucky one?" Korra looked the waterbender over, shaking her head in disbelief as she summoned water from a pot to give the worse of Kya's injuries another healing session. "One of those things put a hole in your stomach, I don't know how you're still alive. I mean Beifong I can understand, she's made of platinum."

They both looked over at another bed, where Lin was sleeping. They'd all been dragged to the same building, and while a healer had worked on Korra, Korra had focused her attention on saving the two older women. Avatar State healing could work miracles, but it had been touch and go. Korra didn't know how they'd even survived this long, and she was worried that Kya still might not make it. Her eyes glowed as she worked. She'd lost Katara, her parents were missing, her wife… she wasn't going to lose Kya and Lin, too.

Kya seemed to pick up on Korra's thoughts. "We'll be okay. Lin ordered me not to die. I can't disobey that order, she'd find a way to bring me back just so she could discipline me. … I'd probably enjoy that."

"Thanks, I didn't need to know that." Korra straightened up, the glow in her eyes fading. She inspected Kya's wound, then reapplied the bandages. "Get some rest, _that's_ an order."

"Yes ma'am."

Jinora was waiting for Korra in the other room. It was a crowded little room. Most of this floor had been turned into a make-shift hospital, and there was a planning area in the apartments on another level, including one Korra knew was Mako's.

Tenzin sat in one corner, his arm in a sling and a bloody bandage around his head while Opal tended to him. Her movements were robotic, her mind clearly elsewhere. Ikki and Meelo were helping out the healers with other wounded and Jia was trying to organize the chaos into something efficient. Korra wished her lyck.

"We still don't know where Asami or the others are. Amaya has made no demands or any threats about them, so I'm assuming they're alive." Jinora sounded more calm than Korra felt.

Worry ate at Korra's stomach. She needed another day at least before she could risk fighting anyone on Amaya's level. Your average bender or soldier she could handle right now, but Amaya? She knew she wasn't ready yet. Her hands formed fists and she took a deep breath.

"Korra, it will be okay. You're connected to them. You'd know if anything happened."

"I know, I just…It's been nearly two days" Korra blew hair out of her eyes, making her hands relax. The more she tensed up the worse her side hurt. "I'm losing everyone I care about. My parents are missing, Asami and Mako and Bolin are missing. Tenzin is hurt, Lin is pretty bad off and I don't even know if Kya will make it. The Red Lotus holds over half the city. I _need to get back into the fight, just to keep my mind off of this."_

 _Jinora put her hands on Korra's shoulders. "You need some more time. You nearly pulled a grandpa there. I don't know what we'd do without you."_

 _"It wasn't that bad." Korra ran a hand over her face. "And you guys did pretty well without me before. How many airbenders do we have still?"_

 _"Ten who can still fly or fight. And you know we still needed you."_

 _Korra smiled at her. "I know. But you guys still did really good when the world still needed balance and spiritual guidance. But we need some more information. Take two others. Just be careful and don't let anyone see you." Korra thought about it for a long moment. "Find out how defended their radio jammer is. If anyone is trying to reach us, right now they can't and I if we can take out their jammers we can try to get some news or coordinate with other nations."_

 _Spiritual guidance… Something occurred to Jinora, and she grabbed Korra's hands. "Wait! They're jamming the radio, right? But they can't jam the spirit world. What if I projected myself, trying to find Mako or Asami? I'm closest to them, I should be able to make contact."_

 _Korra picked Jinora up and twirled her around. Her side twinged, so she set her back down. "Jinora, you're a genius! Okay slight change of plans. Pick three airbenders you trust the most and send them out to scout the jammers, then try to find the others. I'll rest easier knowing they're okay."_

 _"And then maybe we can put out these flames of rebellion." Jia rushed over, looking frazzled. Her hair was no longer in it's neat bun and one earring was missing. Her business skirt was torn and scorched, and Korra didn't think that she'd even slept in two days. But not many of them had. The only sleep Korra had gotten had been while healing up._

 _"Maybe I can dump the ocean on everyone." The joke fell a little flat. Korra shrugged, then took Jia by the arm and made her sit down. "But you need to rest too. We'll fall apart if you start falling apart, I think the only reason we're still going is because you're so good at organizing."_

 _"Too much to do." She rubbed the bridge of her nose, then glanced past Korra towards Ikki._

 _Korra followed her gaze. "Is everything all right with you two?"_

 _"I think so. But I'm worried about her. When we were at Future Industries torching R &D, she was fighting Ai Li. They both fell of a catwalk and Ai Li burned to death in the fire." She gripped Korra's arm. "I've tried to tell her there was nothing she could do, that it wasn't her fault and she didn't kill her, but she blames herself. It's my fault, I should carry that weight, I hear the screaming every time I close my eyes and I don't want Ikki to-" _

_"Hey… hey, it's okay." Korra unhooked Jia's hand from her arm and squeezed it. "Neither of you are at fault. Ai Li put herself into that position, she took your technology and used it to hurt people. She wasn't a good person, not like you and Ikki. And in a fight, sometimes people get hurt and you can't help that. That's a lesson I was taught early. But it wasn't like either of you stabbed her to death or deliberately used your bending to murder her. It sounds like it was an accident."_

 _Jia nodded, lowering her head for a long moment while she collected herself. Korra smiled tiredly. "You rest, I'll go talk to Ikki, I think she needs to hear this too."_

 _She watched Korra cross the room to Ikki, and speak to her in low tones. Ikki's face quickly crumbled, and Korra enveloped her into her arms. They hugged like that for a long moment, before Korra lifted the woman up and carried her over to Jia. "You, sit here. Both of you rest. And remember, what happened wasn't your fault. You're still good people."_

 _Stepping away, Korra headed towards Tenzin. Ikki watched her go, then turned her head towards Jia. "Do you believe her?"_

 _"I… don't know. I want to. Do you?"_

 _Ikki swallowed and shook her head. "I don't know either, but I have to try."_

 _Silently, Jia took Ikki's hand, and held it on the armrest between them. After a moment, Ikki leaned against her, laying her head on Jia's shoulder and closing her eyes. She was out so quickly that it startled Jia. She listened to the sound of Ikki's breathing, loud and close, wondering how Ikki could fall asleep so closed her eyes and let the sound of Ikki's heartbeat lull her to sleep._

 _"They're really cute together," Opal said, as she dragged a slightly protesting Korra away from Tenzin to make her sit down and rest._

 _"Yeah they are, but come on, there's still work to do!" The Beifong glare was strong, especially with Opal, so Korra sighed and sat down. "You were out there more recently than I was. What's it like for everyone?"_

 _"We've got most of the populace staying out of the way, but besides the police a number of people have turned against the Red Lotus. A lot of the New Equalist supporters realized they were being used again, and turned on them too, but they don't trust us and they don't trust the benders. There's a lot of… tension between everyone. One spark and this alliance breaks apart._

 _Korra leaned back, resting her head against the wall and staring at the ceiling. "That's going to be a big mess still, once all this is over, even if we all stick together"_

 _"I guess the whole elections thing didn't really solve the underlying problems."_

 _"Something to think about later," Korra agreed. "We need to get to the bottom of that or this will just keep happening in one form or another. My job is keeping balance, maybe this time I'll be able to actually help. I was...kind of young and stupid back then."_

 _Opal laughed, and it felt like the first time she had since Bolin had disappeared. "I think everyone goes through that phase, and occasionally it comes back for a few weeks."_

 _Korra gestured for Opal to sit next to her, then put her arm around her friend. "How are you holding up?"_

 _"I'm fine."_

 _"And I'm the Earth Queen. I know you're worried about Bolin."_

 _Nodding, Opal closed her eyes and leaned against Korra. "I have to believe he's fine. But I don't know what I'll do if he never comes home."_

 _A lump formed in Korra's throat. "He'll be fine. They all will. But we have to focus on the city and stopping the Red Lotus. We can worry about them later."_

 _And mourn if they had to._

The deck swayed from side to side as Asami carefully made her way towards the stern. Rather than risk discovery by commandeering a company ship, Asami had purchased passage on a cargo ship to the mainland. Once they reached their destination, she would take a much faster airship back to Republic City, while Mako and Bolin continued on to their own destinations. This all hinged on airships actually running, which wasn't entirely likely, so plan B would require aggressive negotiations. She just hoped it wouldn't come to that. Not with Ty Lee and Rei in tow. At least they were traveling light. Rei had one bag, and Ty Lee had packed two, making no comment about what was in them or why they were necessary. The rest of them just had what was on their backs.

Bolin was with Rei, standing at the railing as Ember Island disappeared in the distance. Asami leaned against the railing next to them. "Under other circumstances this would feel peaceful, and a little exciting. Like we're off on another adventure. But right now I just feel so...uneasy."

"I've got a good gut feeling," Bolin assured her. "Though maybe I'm just a little queasy."

"I just don't know what we're going to do about those airships, or those weapons."

"Well if they're under crewed and there's some kind of remote thing going on, maybe there's a way to block the signal without, uh, ramming airships into each other. Then we can… turn them against each other." Bolin shrugged at her, then nudged her with his shoulder.

Asami rolled her eyes, but a smile ghosted across her lips. "I was making the best of a bad situation. But I'll get to thinking about it. Something tells me there's more to it than we can see. If Amaya can control shadows and borrow her sister's bending..." Asami trailed off, then straightened. "What if they're using spirit energy?"

"Can they do that?" Bolin's eyes widened and he flashed back to spirit cannons and giant mechs.

"Anything is possible."

 _"..Asami! Bolin!"_

Both turned at their names, to see Jinora's floating, transparent form. All the weight on Asami's shoulder fell away, and if Jinora wasn't incorporeal she would have hugged her. "Jinora! I'm glad you're all right! Is Korra okay? Did she get away? How is everyone?"

 _"She's fine, but worried to death. Chief Beifong and Kya were both badly hurt and my dad is out of the fight too."_

"That's great!" Bolin threw up his hands, then dropped them. "I mean Korra being okay. Your dad and the others being hurt. That's not so great. Mako's okay too, though! He's below decks with Ty Lee. Oh we met Ty Lee!"

 _"Really?"_ Jinora raised her eyebrows. Ty Lee? Royal Guard to the Fire Lord Ty Lee? The Ty Lee that fought against her grandfather before changing sides? She hoped she got to meet her.

"Jinora, how safe is Republic City right now? Do you have any word from the Fire Nation or Ba Sing Se?" Asami gestured at Rei. "This is Rei, she's the Fire Lord's niece. We need to protect her but we don't know where it might be safest."

Rei didn't say anything, and simply stared in awe at the astral projection.

 _"Mom's got a little shelter going that she can hide out in. The city is split right down the middle between the free areas and the neighborhoods held by the Red Lotus and a few areas where new Triads have formed in the chaos. Your ramming attack disrupted most of their airship communications and we've taken advantage of that. Last word we heard from anywhere else were the airship attacks, and bombings in the North and South Water Tribes." Jinora's face grew longer. "Chief Desna was killed, and Korra's parents are missing."_

"Oh no…" Asami leaned heavily on the railing. Hearing about Kya and Lin was bad enough. Tonraq and Senna were like parents to her. They'd welcomed her into the family as though she was one of their own and she'd grown as close to them as she'd ever been to her father. But Korra had to be hurting worse so she couldn't let herself focus on her own worry. "How is… how is Korra handling it?"

 _"She's distracting herself, being a real pain in the healers' butts, actually. She'll need you if… the worst is confirmed."_

Asami nodded shakily. "Okay. Our plan won't change then. I'll take Rei to Republic City and leave her and Ty Lee with Pema. Bolin will check out Ba Sing Se and Mako will continue on to the Fire Nation and help Fire Lord Azula."

"And now we know what to attack," Bolin said. "Take out the big command ships and we suddenly gain an advantage!"

 _"I'll let everyone know you're all okay,_ " Jinora blinked away.

"I'll never get used to that," Asami admitted. "Come one, lets go tell Mako and Ty Lee the news."

"Which of us breaks it to him that the Chief is badly hurt?"


	16. Preparations and Reunions

It was hard for Mako to say goodbye to Asami and his brother. They'd all be on their own. He couldn't protect them and he wouldn't have them at his back. It would make the journey to Crater City just a little more dangerous and a little more lonely. After some further debate, they'd decided to have Rei and Ty Lee accompany Asami back to Republic City. They thought a known threat was better than an unknown one even if no place would be perfectly safe. Ty Lee was convinced Ember Island was in danger.

With the party now split, Mako made his way deeper into the Fire Nation. Evidence of the war with the Red Lotus was everywhere. Early on he passed a crashed airship on a hillside, it's hull split open from Red Lotus weapons. Dozens of refugees camped along the road and he had to force himself to continue on instead of help. There was time to think, and he turned over several plans and their current situation in his head as he walked.

When he reached the capitol, he was shocked to find the main gate had been smashed open. In the skies above loomed four Red Lotus airships, including one that was larger than the other three. Mako cautiously snuck through the city. The Red Lotus seemed to have carved out the southern section of the city for themselves, and a massive barricade separated them from the city's defenders. It was make-shift, and the defenders had managed to down one of the enemy airships, using it as part of the barricade.

Mako could see United Forces fire-bender cannons had been set up around the palace and several districts in the city. The remaining airships were currently staying on their side of the barricade as a result. The fighting here seemed to have come to a standstill, and from what he could tell, it had turned into a full on siege.

Even with the automatons that Asami had suspected increased their numbers, Mako wondered what the Red Lotus plan actually was. They were stretched too thin, trying to attack every majir point at once. The bulk of their forces seemed to be in Republic City and possibly Ba Sing Se. The attacks in the Water Tribes looked like small numbers of terrorists, and what he'd seen in the Fire Nation made him think that they'd assumed Azula was a pacifist like her mother and so hadn't taken her as seriously as they should have. But what was the _plan_.

Or maybe they were planning on bringing in reinforcements once the other nations had been crippled. Kill the leaders, destroy the infrastructure, and then what? Nothing the Red Lotus did made sense. Even with Zaheer it had looked like they'd had no goal past step two of breaking the Avatar Cycle. In Mako's mind, nothing was adding up and he'd had plenty of time to think on the trip here, and then more time to think as he snuck through the city. Obviously the Avatar was a target. President Tuyin had been a plant and Republic City was left leaderless. The Northern Watertribe had lost half their leadership and all contact with the Southern Tribe had been lost. The Fire Nation had only three members of the Royal Family left and much of its council had been killed. They could lop the head off the leadership in the Fire Nation if they killed Azula and bring down the North's with Esna. That would just leave Korra, and the new leadership in Ba Sing Se.

"Assuming they succeed," he muttered. "What then? What's the end game?" Did Amaya intend to do something to the Spirit World? The portals? She was tearing down the power structures of the world but she clearly planned more than that. Like Zaheer, step one was to remove leadership from power and step two was to eliminate the Avatar. And he remembered things that Amaya had said, about returning power to the people. She wanted to even the playing field. Was her end game really to return the world to how it had been in the past? Was that closing the spirit portals, or was that to return the world to some nebulous society that no longer existed? Mako summed up Amaya's plan in his head: Remove leadership, remove the Avatar, something unknown, balance. Her sister hadn't provided any new information, either. But Amaya's family was a weakness. Not just the power siphoning, but also the fact that she'd demanded they help her get her sister back as well as capture Korra.

He approached the palace slowly. It was heavily defended and he didn't want to get attacked for his trouble.

He held his hands up, hoping one of the guards or soldiers would recognize him. Luckily, one did. The soldier's eyes lit up with recognition, and she clasped her hand on his shoulder. "Mako! What are you doing here? The Fire Lord is currently in war council."

"That sounds like a sentence that no one has said since before we were born," Mako replied, trying to place her. She had been at the coronation and had always seemed to be around when Azula had been in Republic City. Her name was Min. Mako nodded his head. "I have some information but I don't know if it's news she's heard or not."

"They should almost be finished. You look like you could use something to eat." She said.

Mako put his hand over his stomach. "Thank you, Min. That's probably a good idea. I'm starting to feel a little lightheaded"

After a quick meal, Mako felt human again. He paced in the throne room, pausing to make note of new damage. Scorch marks on the wall, a gouge in the floor. Water damage to the tapestries. There'd been a battle here and he was busy trying to reconstruct it when a voice called out to him.

"Mako."

He turned at the sound of Azula's voice, and his eyes widened. Her right eye was bandaged and she walked stiffly, as if there were other injuries hidden in her robes. Spots of dried blood dotted her cheek. He stopped just short of hugging her for fear of causing her pain, instead putting a hand on her arm. "What happened?"

"Two assassination attempts, one bombing, and a full scale battle in the throne room," She replied, tone unchanged from how she'd greeted him. But they were alone, so she let herself lean into Mako. She'd barely had a moment to center herself since everything had started, and she was relieved to see him unharmed. "It's good to see you. My brother is missing, too." It was just her now. But worry about her brother had to go to the back of her mind, in the exact same compartment that grief for her family resided. The same place that worry about Mako had been, until she'd heard he was waiting. "But at least I have one less thing to worry about, knowing you're all right. What about your friends?"

"The General is tough, I'm sure he'll turn up." Mako rubbed Azula's back, relaxing a little when she brought her hand up to stroke his cheek. He hadn't even had a chance to trim his mustache or shave his cheeks in days. "They're all okay."

Azula straightened, and the Fire Lord returned as his girlfriend stepped out of his grip. "We can.. catch up later. We need to share news. This siege must be broken. It's all I can allow myself to focus on."

Mako nodded, his own expression growing business-like. "To start, the last news we got was the bombings in the Water Tribes, and an attack on Ba Sing Se. Republic City was swarmed by many more airships than you have here, carrying mecha tanks that Asami believes are automated. Jinora contacted us via Spirit projection. The Red Lotus have about half the city. We have the New Equalists on our side, or at least most of them. President Tuyin is one of the Red Lotus."

The Fire Lord stared at him, her composure slipping.. "Tuyin? _I liked her_." She brought her hand up to her forehead. "We knew about the attacks, we got word shortly before the radios went down. My brother managed to contact the United Forces, and the plan was to liberate the city before sending aide elsewhere. But we lost contact yesterday. We don't know if he's alive, or what the statues of the United Forces are."

"Obviously something went wrong. But we can't worry about that right now." Mako led Azula to a window, and pointed at the airships in the distance. "If we take out the one on the middle left, that will throw them into enough chaos that we can retake the city. We uh… rammed our airship into one like it and that threw the entire Red Lotus attack off. We think it's some kind of command ship."

"I wish I understood what this technology was or how it worked."

"We don't really know yet. It could operate like a Sato-mobile, or it could be some kind of Spirit Energy. Once she or Varrick takes one apart we'll know more. That's the plan for when she gets to Republic City. I think if they can figure this out we'll be able to make a weapon against them."

"I like the idea of having something to focus on." Azula sighed, and stepped away from the window. "My mother would be having a fit if she could see the state of things right now. She prided herself so much on reeling this Nation back from it's Imperialistic days."

"And you can continue her work, but there's a difference between attack and colonization and defending yourself from a threat."

Azula nodded, and started to walk out of the throne room. They needed to come up with a plan and she wasn't content to wait for help. "First we free my city, then we help yours, and then we help the Earth Republic." She stepped into her chambers, undoing her robe despite the fact that Mako had followed her. It was nothing she hadn't shared with him before, anyway.

"Azula, what are you doing?" Mako watched her, concerned. He could see where her injuries were now. A long gash in her side, recent burns on her back, but she stubbornly ignored the pain she was obviously in.

She pulled on a pair of loose red pants and a golden undershirt. Picking up a piece of armor from a display, she looked at him. "I have watched my family and my friends die. My people are suffering. I've probably lost an eye. I can't let myself think about any of that and yet, somehow, I must let it fuel me so that I can steer us all through this crisis. Mako, I was born for this, and I will not be a leader who stands in the back and sends others to die for me." She pulled the chest piece on, and nodded for him to help her.

Mako frowned, but stepped forward to help her into the armor. If he couldn't dissuade her from this, he could at least make sure she was secure. "What happens if you die? We met your niece. But she's just a little girl. That would be a lot of weight to put on her."

"She's safe?"

Mako nodded. "Yeah. Ty Lee insisted they go with Asami, she seemed to think Ember Island was no longer safe."

"Okay. That's good. We can trust Ty Lee's judgement." Azula closed her eye for a long moment, and Mako's hand hovered near her shoulder before gently squeezing it.

"If I fall, there are measures in place for Rei to take power when she is older, and to keep a government going for the Fire Nation in the interim." She tilted her head, pointing at the leg armor. "But we have presidents in two nations now, leaders selected by the people or by the representatives of the people. The Fire Nation is increasingly becoming anachronistic in this new age" Her voice grew quiet. "Perhaps the time of Monarchs is over. Absolute power in the hands of one person…" Her whole life, she'd wanted this. Wanted to rule, to guide her people and be the kind of leader Lord Zuko had become. To step into her mother's shoes the way she'd stepped into his, but to do it _better_. She'd loved her mother, but she hadn't entirely agreed with Izumi's politics. Maybe it was her ambition. She'd had the ambition for rule where her brother's ambition had led him elsewhere in his life. But power was a heady thing, easy to give into and hard to let go. "We've seen how power in the wrong hands will haunt us for generations. Maybe tis is something that I will need to think about, when the Red Lotus is defeated."

She regarded herself in the mirror, fully armored, with Mako standing beside her. "When the battle resumes, will you be at my side?"

"Why do you think I came?"

Azula turned to him. "It was hard for me, to open up to you. I just don't let anyone close, but you've come to mean a lot to me." She touched his face again, the scruff on his cheek maybe her favorite texture on his body. "Thank you for helping. You didn't have to come."

"Even if we weren't together, I still would have come."

"And that is just one reason why I love you."

"The last time I was on an airship," Ty Lee exclaimed, face pressed against the window. "Was when Iroh and Azula were children. My Azula's health was beginning to fail, and it would be the last chance for her to see her grandniece and nephew so we took a trip back to the capitol. I hadn't been there in many years"

She smiled at the memory. "Little Azula was about four years old. Iroh was nine. They were just adorable, and they seemed to bring new life to my Azula. I think...she saw in them a chance for her own redemption, and she was sorry it would be Izumi and Iroh's generations that would have to pay the price of her crimes."

"What did their grandmother think of this?" Asami asked. She shifted around, careful of the girl who was sleeping with her head in Asami's lap. The little hold they were in was cramped, but it was better than nothing and easier to hide in. The airship was a small, fast one and its owner didn't ask questions as long as they didn't ask any questions about the other cargo she was running. It had been smooth so far, at least, and she'd spent the past several minutes watching Ty Lee's old eyes light up with wonder and excitement.

"It took years of seeing Azula interact with Izumi to convince Mai that there was something good inside her. But forgiveness… that was hard. Mai was stubborn and she could hold then the day came that we found Azula telling little Azula the reason she wouldn't teach her blue fire."

Asami leaned against the window, trying to mask how curious that statement had made her. "Why was that?"

"To properly wield blue fire," Ty Lee explained, gesticulating with her hands as if in demonstration. "You must close yourself off from your emotions. It's the hottest burning fire but it's also the _coldest_ fire because of the place you had to take your heart to to use it. She didn't want little Azula to make the same mistakes she had. She wanted her to invite people into her heart and keep them warm, not shut them out and freeze her emotions."

"I've never seen blue fire, in all the years I've watched firebenders at work. I've seen lightning, but blue fire seems to have disappeared from knowledge. I don't think I've even heard of anyone ever using it." Not even in Pro-bending, where benders would train themselves to do everything they could to win. No match had featured blue fire and no team had ever learned it.

"Azula would be happy about that." Ty Lee still had her eyes pointed out the window. She spotted what she thought was a bird and stood up to try to get a better look. "...though more because it would make her feel extra special. As much as she had regrets, there were still things she was proud of and Azula without arrogance would simply not be Azula."

Ty Lee chuckled. "Azula of the blue flame, the first and the last."

Careful to not disturb the child, Asami shifted in her seat again, to try to get a better look out the window. "I don't think I could ever be that cold. I want… I've always wanted closeness and intimacy, to open myself up to someone and have that person open themselves to me. I can't imagine not letting myself feel anything. Even when I keep my feelings to myself, I still _feel_ them. I just don't let them control me." Or she tried not to, at any rate. Asami had always been a little analytical.

"We all wear masks to keep the world at bay." Ty Lee's smile was suddenly fragile and sad, all the happiness seeming to drain out of her. "Azula wore her pride and arrogance like armor. Mine was my good cheer. The masks are the part of us that we let the rest of the world see, but sometimes special people learn to see past them and see the rest of us. They are as much armor as they are a part of us."

Asami remained silent, mulling it over. There was so much going on that it felt a little wrong to think about anything else but the crisis at hand. But she could only plan out contingencies so much before she was just rehashing scenarios, and there was something about Ty Lee's words that kept hitting close to home. How often had she worn her make up like some kind of war paint? The old woman was looking out the window again, and Asami could almost see the young woman who'd once appeared to be so carefree. As quickly as the sadness had come, it had gone, and Asami understood what Ty Lee had meant about masks. People had underestimated Ty Lee her whole life, and now Asami had too.

"I don't think I wear a mask around Korra, or Mako and Bolin. But I think at first all they saw was the spoiled rich girl. And I think a lot of people still see that, only add CEO and wife of the most powerful person on the planet. No one sees me for who I really am. But I enjoy wearing make-up, and I think that it disarms people a lot of the time. But I didn't always take advantage of that. I was so naive and I let people take advantage of me."

"Hard lessons to learn. Always use that to your advantage, but never let it take you over." To Ty Lee, Asami was a woman who was nothing at all like Azula in most ways. She was kinder, and in some ways reminded Ty Lee more of herself than Azula. Yet in some ways Asami was the same as Azula. Like Azula, Asami was cunning, intelligent, and determined. And ambitious. She thought Asami would deny that, but what other word could describe a woman who'd turned Future Industries into a world-wide power house and married the Avatar? You couldn't really set your sights higher than that, even if it hadn't been what Asami had set out to do with her life.

Ty Lee finally tore her gaze from the sky outside, so she could focus more on Asami and Rei. She could easily see Asami as her and Azula's grandchild, almost. "Tell me about you and Avatar Korra. The Avatar and a non-bender, the spiritual and the technological. It seems so unlikely that it _must_ be a fantastic story."

Rei stirred, yawning and looking up at Asami with a curious expression that matched Ty Lee's. Asami laughed. "Okay. I don't mind talking about it. But it all started when I ran Mako over on my moped."

There was no way that they could get into Republic City from the air. The Red Lotus would see them coming and shoot them out of the sky, so they disembarked from the airship at a makeshift port ten miles to the North. Asami paid the smuggler a little extra for her silence, and then exhausted the rest of the money she'd had on her to pay for a Satomobile to get them the rest of the way to Republic City.

From a distance, everything looked normal. The city skyline looked as it had for the past decade, the portal shooting up to the sky, the buildings of new down town a little to the south and east. The closer they got, the less normal the city looked. Hazy smoke hung over the skyline, and Red Lotus airships held position in a perimeter around the city. A long line of Satomobiles, trucks and people on foot led out of the city and towards the Earth Republic. It was starting to get dark when Asami pulled over to talk with someone in a Future Industries vehicle. When she returned to Ty Lee, her expression was neutral. "Fighting came to a standstill a few days ago. A lot of the city is damaged from those tanks and the cannons on the airships, and people have been evacuating the city during the lull. Everyone seems to expect fighting to start up again soon, but there's apparently a lot of friction between the different factions of defenders"

Twice in ten years. So many things had happened that Asami worried the city wouldn't recover this time, at least not as quickly. Who would want to live in a place that didn't feel safe? She started up the Satomobile. At least there was no traffic heading _into_ the city. They were the only ones foolish enough to go in that direction.

"How are we going to find anyone?"

She glanced at Ty Lee. "I can think of a few places that Korra could be, and from there we can find out where Pema is so we can keep Rei safe." They were probably underground, but the others would be holed up in a sturdy building planning a counter-offensive. There were a few candidates for one, and Asami started driving them towards her first guess - Mako's apartment complex. It was a tough building with five floors, innocuous but close enough to the police station to be able to coordinate the defence. The police station was also on Asami's mental list, but she wanted to look at the apartments first, as the police would be a prime target anyway.

They abandoned the vehicle a block away. Ty Lee secured Rei's little bag to the girl's back, then hefted her two medium sized bags over her shoulders with surprising strength. Asami cautiously led them through backstreets until they reached the apartments. There were no lights in the windows, and she scanned them, searching for any sign of movement. She saw someone move a curtain and a brief second of light spilled out. "People are definitely in there. Come on."

Ty Lee took Rei's hand and squeezed it. "Look at this. We're having an adventure."

Asami climbed the stairs, and then walked over to the apartment where she'd seen the light. She hesitated, thinking it could be a trap, then knocked. There was no response. She rubbed her chin. Her gut told her this was the place. So she knocked again, whispering loud enough for someone on the other side to hear. "Special delivery from Future Industries."

The door swung open, and there was Korra standing on the other side. She looked as rough for wear as Asami was. She stared at her wife for a brief moment, then pulled her into a painful hug. "Don't you know it's dangerous to be out alone at night?"

Hugging her back and in no hurry to ever let go, Asami replied. "Yes, that's why I'm not alone."

Korra set Asami down, and ushered Ty Lee and Rei inside. She shut the door and locked it once she was sure that no one had noticed them. "We've got this whole floor set up for the injured, and the floor below us for planning." She glanced at the newcomers, and smiled broadly at the little girl. "Hello."

"This is Ty Lee, and the girl is Rei. Jinora should have filled you in on her?"

"She did." Neither woman wanted to say Rei's name or lineage out loud. "Pema has a lot of the younger children who are still in the city. We're planning on smuggling them all to a safe location before we make our final push at the Red Lotus."

"Guess I got here just in time for the excitement," Ty Lee said, planting her hands on her thin hips. "I've still got a few tricks up my sleeves. I promise."

Korra nodded at her. "Thank you." As much as she wanted to talk to Ty Lee, she was still reassuring herself that Asami was really there.

Eyes twinkling, Ty Lee looked between Korra and Asami as both women seemed to have problems looking away from each other. "I'll take Rei and make sure she gets settled, it looks like you two have some catching up to do."

Asami's face tinged red, and she turned back to Korra as Ty Lee ferried Rei out. "I'm so glad you're alright. Jinora told me you were but seeing you, it just means-"

Korra closed the two feet between them, cupping Asami's face and kissing her. It was long and deep and a little desperate, filled with a thousand fears. Korra guided her until Asami's back hit a door, then turned her around, opening it so they could stumble inside. Vaguely, Asami realized they were in a closet and this probably wasn't an appropriate time, but that was the farthest thing from her mind as Korra's mouth crashed into hers again. There were a hundred things they needed to talk about. A dozen plans to make and a battle to fight, but for these few, emotional moments the only thing she wanted to hear was her name on Korra's lips.


	17. Commandeered

Morning arrived, but it was almost impossible to really tell. With the blackout curtains in the windows, the make-shift headquarters was shrouded in darkness, the defenders of Republic City cautious about letting light out. The only light came from candles and oil lamps - power had been out for days. Korra put her body between the lamps and the window and peeked out. There was smoke rising a few blocks away, and the low rumblings of tanks in the distance told her that fighting was still going on. Republic City was not at peace and probably wouldn't be for awhile.

To make matters worse, the atmosphere between the defenders was strained and tense, close to a boiling point. New Equalists refused to work with the police or benders. The police weren't working with Equalists, either, and non-benders who weren't aligned with the Equalists were forced to act as go-betweens. It didn't help that many of the benders didn't want to work with Equalists, either.

Korra felt like the inaction and the tension was going to drive her up the wall.. She set out in search of her wife, passing through several of the apartments before she found Asami speaking to Varrick. Asami looked stiff, her shoulders squared and her arms folded.

"You know, just because the president was with the Red Lotus doesn't mean your legal troubles are going to disappear once this mess is over. If anything they might push for it more. Return to normal as they say! Varrick said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I've got it! Why don't I do you a favor and buy part of Future Industries! Just one branch, like your advanced technology and aeronautical division. Break that off and they'll _have_ to drop the lawsuit!"

Asami was developing a headache. She shook her head, and poked Varrick in the chest. "I'd sooner see my company dead and buried than let you have part of it." The most annoying thing was that Varrick was right. Once everything was back to normal, someone would come after Future Industries again. She had her hand in too many pies, but that had been entirely an outgrowth of her own interests and a desire to put her company to good use.

But she couldn't sell any part of it to Varrick, especially not her aeronautical department. That was her baby, the division she'd developed from the ground up in the wake of her father's arrest. But what if she spun that department off for herself, and handed over the reigns to the Satomobile division to someone she trusted, like Jia? She'd have to find a way to do it legally, but the idea appealed to her. Jia had done so much for her and her company, and she couldn't think of anyone more qualified. She'd still have to decide what to do with the appliances division. But that would have to wait for a time when she could give it some serious thought.

"Your funeral." Varrick clapped her on the back and then skedaddled when he saw the death glare Korra was giving him. She stared in the direction he'd gone, then turned to Asami.

"I have to sometimes remind myself he's actually on our side, and that I don't want to deal with the consequences of snapping his neck."

"He's an opportunistic pig. But I suppose he's _our_ opportunistic pig." Asami put her hand on Korra's arm. "And yes, murder is bad."

"Lucky us," Korra intoned.

"Thanks for rescuing me." Asami embraced Korra, then stepped back. "I've been doing some thinking. Ty Lee said a lot of things that really spoke to me. I've been wondering if we can somehow end this without any further bloodshed."

"What did you have in mind?"

Asami took her wife by the elbow and pulled her out of the room. "Maybe we can pull a Kuvira with Amaya. Talk some sense in her. But she won't listen to us, I don't think. And if she won't listen to you I doubt she'd listen to me. But we have one of her sisters, right? The one who seemed to not be entirely on board with Amaya's plan. At least that's what Bolin thought."

Korra's eyes dropped to Asami's hand. Healing had fixed most of the damage, but she thought that Asami would have one of those weather aches for a long time to come and as much as a peaceful solution was preferable it had still gotten personal. "After what she did to you, you still want to talk her down?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Korra grinned toothily. Asami was right, and if she really asked herself she would have said that it was the answer she'd been hoping for. "We'll give it a shot, and we'll start with Lihua."

Lihua was being kept at the police station, underground in a cell made of platinum. There was no one on the streets as they made their way to it. Most of the fighting had moved farther south or stopped for the day. The station was heavily damaged, but they were let inside by a lieutenant on watch.

The earthbender sat cross legged in her cell, her eyes closed. She looked up when someone slid the door open. She rolled her eyes when she saw who had come to visit her. _Of course_. She wasn't afraid. They could torture her if they wanted. "What do you want?"

"We came here to talk," Korra said. She sat on the floor across from Lihua, and gestured for Asami to join her. Her voice was kind and her expression at ease. "We need to know everything you can tell us about your sister." She hadn't said a thing the whole time she'd been captured. The most she'd spoken was to Bolin, and then only a few words. Korra just hoped that time to think had made her want to open up more. Unlike some people she wouldn't resort to torture. But that didn't mean she couldn't intimidate someone if she had to.

"What do you hope to accomplish?" Lihua closed her eyes, resting her hands in her laps. They were shackled. An unnecessary precaution - she had no intention of going anywhere. "My sister believes in the Red Lotus, and their plans for the world."

"Their plans?" Asami asked. "Not 'our' plans?"

Lihua smiled, though there was no humor in the expression. "She's the special one. The chosen one. The one that Zaheer trained and had prepared should he fail. Nuo and me, we're the back-ups." She opened her eyes and looked down at her tattoos. "And her batteries. But they're family. Me, Nuo, Amaya, and Masaru. You fight for family..."

Asami leaned forward. "Masaru. That's your brother? The boy that we fought in the Fire Nation?"

"No," Lihua replied, a laugh bubbling up. "He's my _nephew._."

"Amaya's _son_?" This was news. Possibly even useful news. Korra thought that if they could catch him, it would give them leverage to bring Amaya to the bargaining table. She already wanted her sister, according to Asami. Having both her sister and her son might just do the trick. It ran a little too close to holding hostages for her liking, but she wasn't sure they had a choice.

"It's a cycle. Zaheer trains Amaya. He turns her into this...she's not a zealot, but she believes the world is corrupt and that it needs to burn. And then in turn she taught Masaru the same way. Only he's not a bender so he can't do all the tricks she can." Lihua sighed. "But she still loves him. I just think she loves the cause more than us. Including Masaru."

"Do you agree with her? About the world and needing to cleanse it?"

"Yes, and no. The world _is_ corrupt" Lihua sat up straighter." The people with power hurt those without. Non-benders get hurt the worse but even bender suffer under that oppression and its not always a bender doing the oppressing. But I don't think the world should _burn_." She clenched her fists, fire in her eyes. "I think we could have found peace, lived our lives in happiness. But that chance is gone now. She threw that away years ago and we've known nothing but the revolution since."

Asami chose her words carefully. "If we could sit Amaya down, get her to talk or negotiate, do you think she'd be willing to find a peaceful solution with us?"

She jumped when Lihua barked out a laugh.

"Oh you're _funny!_." Clapping her hands together twice, Lihua exclaimed. "Don't you understand? You're going to have to _kill_ her! Kill my sister. And then if you don't catch him, Masaru will come for you some day, and you'll have to kill _him_. And then whoever he trained, and on and on and on. A cycle, a twisted cycle."

She laughed again, but the sound was strained and tears started to streak her face. "The Red Lotus is a cancer, it destroyed my family. And all you need, all you need is another Zaheer or Amaya, and it will start all over again. How can you stop that?"

She buried her face in her hands, and the silence in the cell weighed like lead in her heart. Breathing shakily, she lifted her head after several moments of calming down. "Nuo is...she's closer to Amaya than I am. But even she has to see that the path she's gone down will only have one end." Lihua looked at Korra, though the compassion in the Avatar's eyes was almost too much to stand. "It's too late to save Amaya. But Nuo might be reasoned with. And I can give you a list. Names. High ranking Red Lotus members, everyone we've ever met with, even some New Equalists. Just...try to save my sister, and my nephew. I don't have high hopes for him, but he's still young enough, it might not be too late."

Lihua raised some interesting questions. If they couldn't talk to Amaya, they'd have to stop her permanently. Korra could beat her, but she didn't think it would be easy. List in hand, Korra led Asami back to the headquarters so they could pass the information out. At the very least they could cut the Red Lotus out at the roots so that they wouldn't be a problem again. "Okay, so, something bad happens. People like Amaya get hurt, or their families get hurt, or something causes a change in them. But that doesn't make them the disease, they're just a symptom."

"Like my father," Asami pointed out, the irony not lost on her. "What are we going to do? We can't kill Amaya. That would make us just like her. If Avatar Aang could find it in him to spare Firelord Ozai, I think we can try to spare Amaya."

"I'll figure something out. Her son is a victim in all of this, too. I hope Lihua is right and we can maybe reach him. And if anyone can get through to Amaya it would be him." But raising a boy like that...

"If we can find him."

"Let me handle that." Korra opened the door for Asami, then followed her inside. "You need to get with Varrick and work out a way to take down those airships. We don't have any more we can crash into them."

"I've got some ideas." She winked. "But I won't tell you about them because then you'll just worry."

"Be careful, that's all I ask." Korra pulled Asami close, holding her for a moment before giving her a kiss.

Asami let herself have a moment where it was just them, nothing else and the outside world wasn't a terrifying place that could kill them at any moment. "Same goes for you, Korra."

Asami's plan was fairly straightforward. "We're going to steal an airship."

Zhu Li stared blankly at Asami then looked at her husband. To her dismay she could already see the gears turning in his head and knew that this course of action was going to be one that he'd jumpe right on. "You're both crazy."

"Crazy like a foxbat!" Varrick thrust his finger towards the ceiling. "Zhu Li?"

With a long suffering sigh and a roll of her eyes, Zhu Li replied, "I'll do the thing." Luckily for them, she enjoyed doing the thing.

"Do you remember how we tried to take down Kuvira's colossus?" Asami was referring to the electric shock that had disrupted a lot of the tanks. "What if we used something like that. The tanks won't be shielded and there's a good chance that the airships won't either."

"Not a bad idea." Rubbing his cheeks as he tried to get the science juices rolling, Varrick began to pace the room. "But if they're shielded we'll only get one shot and then we're outta luck! And then there's the collateral damage. We could set Republic City back a hundred years!"

"That's why we're going to steal an airship." Asami pointed out the window. "That one, right there. We can figure out how it's shielded, what's powering it, how they're controlling it with so few people, and what those cannon things that they've been using are. Knock out the shielding, or find a way to turn their signals against them. We can use the pulse as a last resort."

"I think they're bigger versions of what we scavenged from one of the tanks. Some kind of cannon. I call it the Boom Stick." Varrick led Asami over to a table and pulled a tarp off with a flourish. "It uses some kind of energy pulse to trigger firework powder. The explosion of the powder then directs the little ball at the target."

Asami leaned on the table, studying the disassembled weapon. "But what causes the pulse?"

"I've got a theory on that. The pulse generates a spark or a flame and then _boom_. Boom Stick." He fanned his hands out like an explosion. "We weren't able to get a look at the power source before the Red Lotus chased us off, but I'm preeeeeeetty sure that it's spirit energy."

"Spirit vines?" Asami felt her stomach sink into her feet. The sound of the spirit cannon reverberated through her head.

"Dunno. We'll know for sure once we've commandeered that airship. Spirit Energy is so complex and research has been banned so I couldn't tell you any more than that."

"Then we need to get to Future Industries and capture the command ship." Asami's hand ached, and she flexed it. "I've got some aircraft stored in a safe place. We'll board it, take it over, and then study it."

"Varrick," Zhu Li said. "I can get the electric pulse ready in case we need it.

"Right! Lets go do the thing! But not that thing because I don't want to take out every piece of technology in a ten mile radious unless we have to. That would be… bad."

With Korra focusing on defending the city and trying to find Amaya or her son, the mission to capture a Red Lotus airship fell to Asami. She didn't mind the responsibility. This was her forte, and she was much more comfortable with something like this than fighting an actual war. The easy part would be flying the airship. The hard part would be getting on board in the first place.

Varrick had 'volunteered' to stay behind and coordinate the attack. Meelo and Kai had volunteered to join her and as they were getting ready, Mako's partner, Yuki, had volunteered. as wel. After concerns about her health, she assured Asami that she was fit for duty, and didn't want to sit around and do nothing. Asami couldn't really turn her down, she happened to be the only other person present who'd actually fought Amaya directly. To top it off, the non-bender had managed to beat her, however short lived the victory had been.

A little mock airship sat at the center of a table as Asami planned out how she'd approach it.

"I'd like to help."

Asami turned away from the planning table. A woman a few years older than her approached them. She had grey eyes and brown hair in a bun that was in disarray. To be fair, not many of them had had time to fix up their looks. Even Asami's make-up was in ruins, but Korra had assured her her hair remained flawless. "You're one of the dispatchers at the police station, aren't you?"

"I'm a field certified," the woman assured her. "I'm Malina. I've been studying for a promotion so radio technology and frequencies are still fresh in my mind. If you're going to figure out their transmitting system, I think I can help."

It was a good idea. Asami was smart, but she wasn't an expert in everything. "Are you a bender?"

She shook her head, then turned her hip to show the weapons on her belt. "No, but I've got the batons. I like them better than the glove."

"Three non-benders and two airbenders. This ought to be interesting." Asami looked around. "Do we have some extra gloves? I'm afraid mine was taken by Amaya and I haven't really practiced with batons."

"I've got you, boss-lady." Yuki held up an electric glove, and Asami instantly recognized it as one of her own. Red with gold trim and fitted exactly to her hand. Yuki handed it over. "Jia had me go retrieve some and gave me a key so I could get yours. She said you'd be more comfortable that way. "

"I'm going to kiss that woman." Or she would, but Ikki might kill her if she tried anything. Asami pulled the glove on and tested it. "Okay, Malina. I've settled on a plan so let me fill you in. I'll fly us in on a plane and we'll board the airship and take it. Meelo and Kai will ride on the wings and jump on board as we get close, their job is to infiltrate from below. There's a field a few miles outside the city, we can land it there and then start to study it. Varrick and his team will be waiting there, along with those of my people I still trust. We're looking for a way to get past the shielding they have on their power sources without having to board each one, or a way to hijack their signals and use them against them."

"What kind of resistance do you expect?" Malina rested her palms on her batons.

"Either a whole lot or hardly any at all. I think it depends on how secure they feel up there."

"Sooo we should expect the worse and hope for the best," Yuki decided.

"Exactly.

Getting to Future Industries was easier said than done, but they reached their destination with only a few incidents. The main building was damaged, most of the glass shattered and rubble everywhere. But it was the buildings behind the skyscraper that had suffered the worse. Research and Development was a smoking black husk of its former self. It had burned completely to the ground and even now, days later, Asami could smell charred flesh. Jia hadn't told her if anyone else had been caught in the blaze, they knew Ai Li was the only one for sure, but then not all of their employees had been able to check in. But that wasn't Ikki or Jia's fault. She pushed that worry from her mind. "Hopefully Jia destroyed everything before the Red Lotus could get their hands on anything dangerous."

"What kind of things would you be doing that are dangerous? I mean, you just make satomobiles and planes don't you?"

Asami glanced at Meelo, who was standing there and rubbing his freshly shaven scalp with both hands. "Even an engine can be turned into a bomb if you do the right things to it. We don't make weapons, but my new engine was already in use, giving them a tactical advantage. Better to start over than to give them even more advantages." She tapped her head. "Most of the best ideas are still up here. Like we were working on a way to do calculations faster, and I've had this idea about a way to breathe underwater…"

She shook herself out of it. "I'm just hoping that one of the planes is undamaged. There's a hanger on the west side of the complex with a couple of test vehicles."

"Well, I guess just about anything could be dangerous," Meelo replied.

Kai grinned at him. "Even paint."

"I _am_ a genius." He clapped Kai on the back, then quieted down when Asami shot them a look.

The first hanger had collapsed, crushing the bi-planes inside it, but the next hanger over was intact. Even better, it was locked and there was no evidence of tampering. "I haven't been able to get my new engine small enough for a plane. Once I can it'll revolutionize air travel." Asami started to unlock a side door. "But I came up with a new wing design. Much stronger than the dual configuration we're using right now. Combined with a redesigned undercarriage it should be able to land and take off in rough conditions and carry a heavier load. And it's faster than older designs."

"What about a hummingbird suit?"

She pushed the door open and led them in. "Most of those were sent to the Fire Nation to help with the relief efforts or destroyed in that other hanger. There's too many of us for one anyway."

"Wow." Malina stopped in her tracks as she caught sight of the plane. Asami's new design had a single, sturdy wing, bent slightly where the landing wheels where located. The cockpit was a closed design, and looked like it had room for two people and the entire plane looked like it had been covered in metal, or even _made_ of metal. It was painted with an overall blue color theme, and the Future Industries logo was proudly positioned on each wing. From everything Malina had read, blue and red tended to be Sato's go to colors so she wasn't surprised.

"I have an even bigger design for long range transport but it's still being built. The metal is lightweight, designed to streamline the frame and to add extra strength for cargo. Maybe even people eventually." Asami climbed up and peered into the cockpit. "We have fuel!"

"Hey," Yuki pointed towards something in the corner. "What about that thing?" She'd spotted another aircraft. It had short, stubby wings and in addition to the propeller in front of it there were humming-bird style wings on top.

Asami followed Yuki's finger with her eyes. "It's an experiment to combine the hummingbird technology with a plane for greater speed and stability. I haven't quite gotten it off the ground yet. The wings aren't really working the way I'd hoped with that kind of frame and I'm probably going to have to go to the drawing board."

It would probably be better for this mission, Asami realized. She thought that It could hover if it only flew - as it stood, she was going to have to crash her monoplane after they reached the airship. Probably _into_ the airship. She patted the fuselage with regret.

"Next time then," Yuki said, an eager glint in her eyes. "Hey, what if you put a propeller on top?"

Asami laughed. "I _hope_ there's no next time. I'd like to make it to fifty before we have another crisis. Or eighty." She froze as Yuki's words registered, blinking her eyes and then looking back at the hummingplane. She'd spend so much time searching for elegant, spirit-like designs and Yuki's suggestion was so simple it was a crime that Asami or one of her team hadn't thought of it. Simpler was sometimes better than elegant. "That's actually a great idea...if that works I'll name the first model after you."

Malina climbed up to the cockpit and settled into the rear seat. She leaned around the front seat to look at the controls. "Who do I have to pester for flight lessons after this is all over."

"I know a few people." Asami winked, then helped Yuki in. It would be a tight fit, but Yuki could sit in Malina's lap.

"I swear you're trying to make us obsolete." Kai returned from opening the main hangar doors, and settled down on one wing. "Better and better planes, more hovering ones. Next you'll figure out a way to project like Jinora does."

"The world will always need airbenders," Asami assured him, hopping down to run a quick pre-flight check. Sure, she was going to crash into an airship, but they still had to get there first. "And if you'll notice, there are grooves for you to hold onto, and a strap to keep you secure."

Satisfied, she climbed onto a wing.

"That's our Asami, always looking out for us." Meelo flipped over the cockpit, high fiving Asami while he was still upside down, then landed and strapped himself in. "Go go go! Oh hey can I name it? We should call it something vicious. Like a _Spider Wasp_!"

"I'll think about it." Asami strapped herself in, then started the engine and taxied the plane out of the hangar. "First person that asks if we're there yet gets thrown out." Goggles in place? Check. Asami was ready to go.

Like previous test flights, the airplane flew well. It was a little wobbly in places because the company hadn't had a chance to tweak some of the avionics and replace part of the flight systems. While the hummingplane was a personal project, the monoplane was meant to be the future of flight and so it had a team working on it. But it would get them there today, and that's what mattered.

Once they were in the air, Kai and Meelo detached themselves, and took a sweeping arc towards the command ship. Asami guided the plane around, giving them time to get on board and to also keep them out of range of the Red Lotus cannons.

Asami locked the throttle into place, shifting around in her seat to look at Yuki and Malina. "I'm going to crash land on the deck. Be ready to jump out and take down anyone you see. If they aren't us or the airbenders, knock them out."

"If you get us killed I'm coming back to haunt you." Malina unstrapped herself, and crouched on the seat. Yuki crouched next to her. Asami pushed the cockpit back, exposing them to the elements. Her hair whipped around her head and she gripped the control stick harder. The airship was closing fast. Puffs of smoke erupted from its cannons and Asami pulled up on the stick, taking them above the fire before bringing them into a dive. They rushed towards the deck and she cut the the throttle while hitting all the air brakes.

The landing gear snagged on the deck railing and ripped off the bottom of the plane. They skidded along the deck, coming to rest near the control room. Malina jumped out the left side, swinging her batons at a Red Lotus soldier. The shock sent him spasming to the ground. On the other side she could hear Yuki fighting, and climbed up the plane to get to her.

Flipping out of the plane, Asami rushed towards the control room. A big, burly fire-bender got in the way. She swept her foot out low, tripping him. She shocked him with her glove, then ran inside.

The airbenders were already inside. Meelo was harassing the pilot by repeatedly airbending him in circles, while Kai was tying up two other crew members. He gave her a thumbs up. "Hey, Asami, I think this thing is flying itself."

She looked down at the controls. "Can you feel anything strange at all?"

"Yeah." Meelo tied the pilot up and came over. "There's this buzzing in the air. I can feel it. Kinda like spirit energy. You don't think they've got some kind of spirit cannon do you?"

"They'd have used it if they did. No, they're doing something else. Maybe it's just a power source." She pulled a panel off and started to crawl inside. "I'm going to see if I can regain manual control."

"Deck is clear." Malina ducked in, followed by Yuki. She walked up to an array of equipment and picked up a pair of headphones. "Let me take a look at the communications equipment."

"I've got a theory." Asami's muffled voice came from inside the console. She pulled out a wire and rerouted it, then climbed out. "But we already know Amaya can siphon bending from her sisters. What if that's basically energybending, and what if she figured out a way to share that energy across multiple airships and tanks? I think that maybe it would operate the same way the radios work, only with spirit energy instead of radio waves."

"We'll figure it out, but you need to hear this." Malina put the radio on the speaker.

 _"-repeat, we've freed Kuvira, but she's not-"_

"...that's it, the transmission just went dead. I don't think Kuvira is cooperating."

"Okay but did they seriously think Kuvira was going to help them?" Meelo leaned over the controls, peering out the window. "Kuvira is like Queen of Order and Boring, Red Lotus is total chaos!"

"Like mixing oil and water." Asami made a disgusted noise. "I hate to admit it, but Kuvira's the least of our worries right now. Lets get this thing on the ground."

"We should let Korra know," Kai said. It sounded like something the Avatar needed to handle anyway.


	18. The Nature of War

A model of Republic City had been earthbent out of the ground. While it wasn't perfectly to scale, it had all the important landmarks and streets. Red Flags marked Red Lotus hold outs and blue flags represented areas where there were New Equalists who'd refused to join either side. Green flags were placed where there were other people who refused to work with the Equalists, and yellow marked all the forces Republic City had left, including the police forces, partisan defenders and a small contingent of United Forces soldiers that had been in town for an event. Most of those soldiers had been dealt out to separate groups to help coordinate and train people to fight.

Little balloons represented the airships and there were chopsticks positioned where the radio jammers had been discovered by Jinora's scouting team. They'd been unable to engage.

Korra looked at her handiwork, pacing around it and trying to get a sense of what they needed to do. While she wasn't a general, she had a good head for strategy and had only gotten better at it as she'd gotten older. Her eyes kept going to the blue and green flags. If they could convince them to join the fight then the Red Lotus could be surrounded. An attack from the rear would drive them right into the rest of the defenders and the battle would be over. But the jammers were a high priority too. Without them they had to use scouts and runners to pass information and orders between the various groups.

But it wasn't just that or the tensions that kept people out of the fight. The Red Lotus cannons were a major concern. Kya and Lin weren't the only people to have faced them and Korra had treated several people with worse injuries, only one of which she'd been able to save. Worse had been a sobering report of casualties in the dozens from the miniature cannons alone, and even more from air to ground shelling. Korra worried for her friends and the people she'd sworn to protect, and her city was on the verge of collapge. She trusted her wife. But she was still going to worry about Asami going up to take one of those airships. She should have gone with her.

With the radios down, they'd sent a team outside of the city to try to radio the other nations. They had been unable to raise anyone in Ba Sing Se, but they had reached Mako. They'd promised him that they'd radio if they figured out an easy way to take down the tanks and airships. He'd joked that they might try the patented Sato Maneuver if all else failed.

"Any word from Bolin?" She glanced at Opal. Opal was holding up under the pressure, and knowing Bolin had been safe had lifted her spirits, but he was putting himself back in danger to help people.

But then, that was one thing she loved about him. His tenacity and his gigantic heart. "Nothing yet. Still no news from the Earth Republic. And before you ask, we did manage to make contact with the Northern Water Tribe. Eska is still alive and they've driven off most of the attackers but they're not going to be able to offer anyone any help."

"Harbor City?"

"Nothing."

"Damn." Korra sighed. There was another way to get in contact with people in the South, but it would mean sending someone into possible danger. "Opal, I'd like to ask a favor of you, but it's going to be dangerous."

"You want me to take some people through the Spirit Portal to the Southern Water Tribe."

Korra smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah. That's exactly what I want. We need to know what's going on down there, and what kind of help they'll need."

"Have hope. Maybe the Red Lotus just destroyed their radios."

"You'd think they'd have sent someone through." They had people watching the portal to see if any Red Lotus reinforcements were coming, but there'd been nothing but spirits. It was a risky proposition, sending a team. They'd be that much less prepared against the Red Lotus.

"I'll find out, I promise." Opal squeezed Korra's arm, then glanced towards the makeshift hospital. "If it's safe, I'll send some healers through to help with Kya and the other wounded."

"Unless they're overwhelmed," Korra cautioned. "I don't want to take people away from there when they might still be needed. And Kya wouldn't want that either. She'd sooner die than let someone else suffer."

"Okay." Opal leaned in, giving Korra a hug. "I'll bring some equipment and one of the radio techs, too. Just in case there's enough there to bring everything back online."

Korra watched Opal rush off. That should keep her mind off of Bolin and it would help ease her own worries about her parents. She regarded the miniature city again. Before they could move against the Red Lotus they needed to control the airwaves, and they needed to get help from people who stubbornly refused to work together. It wasn't as though most of their grievances were invalid, but Korra hoped she could get them working together long enough to get to a point where those issues could be addressed. And who knew, maybe that would be the first needed step. People trying to kill you tended to make it easier to put aside differences and then at the end it would be harder to turn to the person who'd risked their life with you and find a reason to hate them. That didn't always stop people, but she could hope.

Because Republic City was their city. _All of theirs._. And Korra knew she could get them to understand that, if they were willing to listen. She just needed to be able to reach them all at once. Her eyes fell to one of the chopsticks. She could reach the whole city by broadcast if those were taken out.

"Okay then. Five jammers. Five teams. Take those out, and then see if I can get everyone on the same side."

"Korra!" Meelo swept in through the window, skidding along the ground. He would have crashed into Korra's battle plan, but was saved by a quick burst of wind from the Avatar. "Thanks." He brushed himself off. "We got the airship! But we tapped into the Red Lotus communications and you won't believe what they did!"

"Try me," she replied, relief washing over her. Asami was safe, and they'd done it! But at this point she wouldn't be surprised at just about anything the Red Lotus did. They could have dug up a spirit cannon and she wouldn't be surprised.

"They broke Kuvira out."

Or they could actually manage to surprise her. Korra lifted her hand to her face and lowered her head for several seconds. "Of all the people to break out, they choose _her_? We have enough problems as it is!"

Meelo grinned. "From the sound of it she was kind of kicking their asses." He didn't have to like Kuvira, but he could respect someone who got the job done. And punched people.

"Sounds about right." Korra picked up her glider staff and pointed it at Meelo. "Okay Meelo. I have to take care of this before it gets out of hand or she disappears. But I have an important mission for you. I mean it, the fate of this entire operation rests on your shoulders. Republic City needs you."

Meelo stiffened to attention. "Yes Ma'am! What do you need?"

She pointed at the chopsticks on her city. " We need to take those jammers out and we can't wait for Varrick to figure out a way to counter them. You'll need five teams, one for each jammer. I don't care what you do, blow them up if you have to, but destroy them."

With a grin that could put grey hairs on Korra's head, Meelo snapped a salute. "I won't let you down. I'll put together the best teams Republic City has ever seen!"

"Good work, Commander. I'll put a good word in with Jinora and your dad about your tattoos." She winked at him, then lept out the window, deploying her staff about halfway to the ground and sweeping up into the sky.

Getting to the prison wasn't an easy task. Not with mecha tanks and Red Lotus between her and her destination. Going by air was only slightly safer than taking the ground. There were several close calls and she nearly lost her glider at one point when an airship spotted her, but she landed at the prison in one piece.

While Korra had made it in one piece, those words were not any way to describe the prison. The ground was torn up, and all the metal in the vicinity had been twisted and melted into spinning, spikey balls of death and potential dismemberment that whirled around the battlefield, forcing the Red Lotus to take cover or be splattered across the ground. Korra caught one with her bending and reformed it into a flat sheet, using it as a shield as she approached Kuvira.

The former dictator was standing atop the remains of the administration building, wearing a yellow prison jumpsuit and soft-toed shoes. Her hair hung loosely down her back and flowed in the wind. She sensed Korra's approach without turning. Her voice didn't sound much different from the last time Korra had heard it years before. "I expected you sooner."

All of the metal in the area dropped to the ground as Kuvira turned to face her old enemy. The hair around her temples had greyed prematurely and the lines on her face showed that her time in prison had not been easy on her. There was a new scar on her chin and Korra wondered what kind of life she'd been leading since she was sentenced.

Slinging her glider onto her back, Korra held her hands out and to the side, palms towards Kuvira. "I don't want to fight you. We both know you can't win and it would just be wasted effort for both of us."

"I've no score to settle with you." Kuvira strode down the rubble like she was queen of the mountain. "The Red Lotus thought I'd be willing to work with them in exchange for parts of the Earth Republic. As though I could be bribed. Their methods and their ideology is anathema to me. I'd sooner work with King _Wu_." She nearly spat the name out, and folded her arms. "Nor do I wish for this break out attempt to reflect negatively on me. I'll help you fight them. But only if you convince the United Republic to reduce my sentence."

"It's not them I need to convince," Korra replied. "It's the Earth Republic. You're only kept here because this _was_ the only facility capable of holding you." She ignored the slight smirk that appeared on Kuvira's face. Was was the operative word. Korra glanced around again. Wondering who in the Red Lotus had been inexperienced enough to bring metal.

Kuvira unfolded her arms, her expression becoming contemplative. "I never thanked you. When you spoke for me at my trial. No one else did."

"People were calling for your head. They wanted to see you hanged." Korra shook her head. "We were better than that. We still are better than that."

"You could have taken my bending."

"Never." She was vehement about that. Taking away someone's bending wasn't just a last resort, it was a _never_ resort for Korra. The situation would have to be dire indeed for her to even think of that as an option.

The situation was pretty dire, but there were other options. She held out her hand. Kuvira had been a model prisoner by all accounts, and while Korra wasn't entirely sure that Kuvira was completely repetent, she didn't think she had much choice. "Su will probably kill me and this doesn't make us friends. And I'll still speak for you, but actions mean more than words."

Kuvira took Korra's hand firmly. "Agreed. But don't worry about Suyin. We've been.. talking lately."

"Maybe there's hope for both of you after all."

"I like the hair," Kuvira added. She'd always been fond of braids. "So what's the plan?" She called some of the metal around them to her, forming armor around her torso, legs, arms and feet. It wasn't a proper uniform, but it would do.

"We have people taking out their radio jammers. Once the airwaves are free, I'm going to appeal to the New Equalists and the anti-equalist hold outs. We're going to need them if we hope to crush the Red Lotus."

Looking around, Kuvira took stock of the situation. The Red Lotus who'd busted her out had retreated - likely to report to their superiors that she was working with the Avatar. But that didn't mean they weren't keeping tabs on them. "Take me somewhere out of sight and show me your plan. I might have some suggestions."

A smirk passed its way over Korra's face. "I guess a second opinion never hurts."

The attack plan met most of Kuvira's standards, but she had a few suggestions anyway. In addition to the forces that would pincer from behind, she thought a small force coming from the direction of the ocean would be the key to keeping any of the Red Lotus from escaping. They could also create a path to the ocean so that captured Red Lotus earthbenders could be transported to a ship for temporary holding. Similarly, a small force near the Spirit Portal would prevent a retreat through it and also handle any reinforcements.

Korra had agreed to the changes, then returned to her home to pick up a few things she'd thought she'd need - including a very upset Naga, who nearly took a bite out of Kuvira. There'd been no way she'd leave the woman out of her sight.

Returning to the headquarters with a Polar Bear dog and her pups in tow, Korra thought that maybe riding into battle on Naga's back might make the Red Lotus that much quicker to surrender. It would be a fearsome sight. She left the puppies with Pema and the children. Tenzin had returned to his wife's side, along with a small contingent of defenders. He glanced at Korra when he saw Kuvira. She just nodded at him, and he nodded back. She hoped they'd be okay, but with his arm in a sling this was one fight that Tenzin would have to sit out.

Kuvira's reception was colder at HQ. People had long memories and trust would not come easily but they didn't have a choice. Korra spent a full ten minutes explaining what she was doing and that she had turned down the Red Lotus and wanted to help. She was suddenly glad that Opal had gone to the Southern Water-Tribe. No matter how many times Su and Kuvira talked, she didn't think Opal had ever forgiven her.

"Okay everyone listen up. While I was gone, it looks like Meelo brought down the jammers. We need to make contact with the Earth Republic and the Fire Nation, to better coordinate against the enemy. But we still need help here. There are hundreds of people we can turn to our side if we're all willing to set aside our differences."

"Korra." Jia held out a radio. "We've got it tuned to broadcast across all channels and some of the airbenders have spent the past hour running wires to areas without power. The Red Lotus will hear it, but so will everyone else."

"Guess this is my moment, huh." Korra picked it up, staring at it as she thought about what she wanted to say. She knew she had to appeal to the New Equalists and to the hardline benders, while not alienating the majority of the people between them who were still in the city. She also wanted to get a few digs in at the Red Lotus. Maybe there'd be defectors.

Finally, she cleared her throat, then flicked it on.

"Attention Republic City. This is Avatar Korra. We're in trouble again, aren't we? We've got wolfbats at our gates. But we've been through worse, and we've gone through it all together and come out the stronger for it." People looked up at the sound of her voice. They knew their Avatar, they'd heard her voice on the radio or in the movers. When Korra spoke, the people of Republic City listened.

"I know we've all got some differences, that there are still problems we need to work through. But this is our city, this is our _home_. Benders and non-benders alike. And while it's not perfect, we can make it better. But not while the Red Lotus holds us hostage. And what do they want? They want to destroy us. Destroy the government that we built, that _you_ built! They claim they want to give you power, but they're taking away your voice! _Our_ voice! What happens if we let them win? What will we have to fight next?"

Korra's fist tightened around her microphone. "Another Ozai? Another Amon? _Those_ are the kind of people that will step in to fill the vacuum the Red Lotus wants to create. That's the kind of world the Red Lotus wants to build. One where our voices no longer matter. Where there's nothing but chaos, a world of orphans and grief and war and warlords and profiteers." Korra took a breath. Throughout the city, people were listening. In a bombed out building a mother pulled on a jacket, and kissed her son good bye. In a shelter near the train station, a man picked up a baton and tested the charge. A group of New Equalists left their hide-out, and marched alongside benders and police.

"I can't fight them alone. The other nations aren't coming, the Red Lotus is besieging them too. It's just us against them, us against the Red Lotus and their technology. So I need your help. _Republic City_ needs your help. We need to come together and stand as one, so we can show the world what the United Republic is all about. Rise up, Republic City. Stand with me. Stand with your neighbors, stand with your city. Together, we will show them that we will not have our voices silenced! Avatar Korra, out."

She clicked the radio off. Someone started clapping, and then more people clapped. Korra smiled at everyone and stood taller, raising her hands to get everyone to quiet down. "All right. We need to get this plan moving."

"What if they don't come?" Kuvira asked.

"They have to come," Korra replied. She rested her hand on Naga's head. "This whole plan falls apart without them."

"Then I pray you were convincing enough."

She stepped away from Kuvira, taking stock of the people around her. "Jia!" She waved the woman over. "I need you to handle the logistics of moving the injured out of here. Chances are the Red Lotus are going to retaliate and once they figure out where we are…"

"Lucky for you I've been working on a plan." She pulled a pen and some folded paper from inside her tunic and then unfolded it. "We have a clear shot to the docks if we take this route. There are still some ships of ours and Varrick's. We can get the injured and the kids away from the city entirely as long as you've got the Red Lotus distracted by the battle."

"Perfect." She squeezed Jia's shoulder. "Get on that. Focus on that. Have Ikki check on her mom and pass the word to them. See if you can save a ship to hold prisoners, though."

Jia nodded. She stuffed the plan back down her shirt, then took a moment to fix her bun while she spoke. "We'll be ready to move when the fighting begins."

"Good plan." Ty Lee's voice drew Korra's attention. The old woman was dressed in her Kyoshi armor, her wrinkled face painted up like the warriors of old. Her fans hung at her side, and she'd used discarded cloth and rope to cinch up some of the armor. It was a little big on her ancient frame, so the cinching was necessary. But she looked good.

"Ty Lee, I don't think this is a good idea."

Ty Lee smiled, taking Korra's hands. "I can fight. I never stopped training. Don't count me out. And maybe, maybe I'll die today. But if I do, I'll die knowing it was worth it. You're worth it, Asami is worth it. This city and the whole world. Besides…" The weight of the years suddenly seemed heavy on Ty Lee's shoulders. "Most of my friends are waiting for me, Korra. I'm tired. I'm so tired." She let go of the Avatar's hands, and squared her shoulders. "You just take care of Asami."

Korra listened, her eyes steady on Ty Lee's. Then she nodded. "I'll take care of her."

It was one of the longest nights of Korra's life. But people started to pour in. People who'd been moved by her speech, people willing to set aside their differences for something greater than each of them individually. Their home, their city, their families. It didn't matter what their motivation was, they were here and they were ready to fight.

Everyone was in position by the time the sun started to rise. Korra's team consisted of herself, Kuvira, Meelo and a dozen airbenders, as well as another twenty people of assorted abilities and skills. She led the charge through the city streets on Naga's back, while the airbenders dropped explosives ahead of them to soften the Red Lotus up. She winced a little - Aang wouldn't be happy about any of this, but she'd at least instructed them to avoid most of the direct fighting and just provide support. But this was the Red Lotus, and for the airbenders this was personal. Maybe this was something planes could be used for in the future.

Kuvira rode atop metal sled, weaving around Korra and creating rock columns as both shields and projectiles. Being on the same side as Kuvira was surreal, and Korra could tell that while she was clearly a little rusty she hadn't let her bending atrophy too much. She was as skilled as ever. Korra filed that knowledge away as something to worry about later.

Fire burst out of the ground in front of them and Naga lept over a sudden chasm in the street. She landed on the other side, snarling and barreling towards a group of Red Lotus soldiers. They scattered as the Polar Bear Dog slammed into their line. Korra lept off the back of her best friend, rolling as she landed and catching the whole group of soldiers in an earthen cage. A blast of wind knocked three more men back.

A yelp from Naga drew her attention to the left. A metal shaft stuck out of her fur, and a Red Lotus soldier that Korra had missed was pushing at it as Naga growled, trying to drive it deeper. With a single powerful bite, Naga snapped the shaft in two. Korra saw red. A rock smashed into the man's head, a gust of wind threw him into the wall. She shot forward, punching him in the face, then grabbing him by his shirt and yanking him into her fist. She drew her hand back for another punch, but someone grabbed it. She looked back to see Kuvira.

"Korra. It's not worth it. Naga is fine."

Tossing him aside, Korra ran back to Naga. "Hey girl, hey I'm here." She knelt next to her companion, inspecting the wound. It didn't look like anything vital had been hit, but there was a lot of blood. "Easy girl. It's not as bad as it looks. You're getting too old for this, I'm so sorry."

Naga whined, and Korra rubbed her snout, then reached for her water pouch. She looked up at Kuvira. "Can you bend the metal out while I heal her?"

Kuvira nodded, and shifted into a metalbending stance. She didn't understand, but she figured she didn't need to. Korra's compassion had been one of the things that had defeated her. "When you're ready."

"Now!" Korra pulled water out of the pouch, holding it to Naga's wound as Kuvira drew the rest of the staff from her flank. "I just need to… just need to stop the bleeding, then we can have someone get her out of here." Her voice was less steady than she would have liked. Naga had been with her forever and it was painful to realize she was mortal.

"We need to go." Kuvira folded her arms, looking around them. "We can send her back with two of the airbenders."

Setting her jaw, Korra nodded and stood. "She's stable enough to travel." It took four airbenders and an earthbender to carry Naga - but once Korra was sure Naga was safe, she was ready to rejoin the fight.

Just in time, too.

Above them, the airships were moving into a position over one of the market districts. They were pushing the Red Lotus into that area, which meant the fight was going to be that much harder with the airships providing cover. Explosions rocked the streets nearby as the air support pounded the city. Meelo moved like a dervish, but even with him, Korra and Kuvira they found their advance brought to a standstill as they had to seek cover from the aerial onslaught.

"Asami needs to hurry." Korra peered out. "I'm starting to hate airships."

"I think she was listening." Meelo pointed up. "Look! They're shooting at each other!"

He was right. Korra watched as one of the airships was ripped apart by the sudden attack. That was a surprise, but a welcome one. She looked at the others. "Okay. I guess that's our cue, one last push and this is all over. I'll send up the signal."

She jumped out of cover and shot a burst of fire, water, air and earth into the sky. Kuvira watched her silently.

"This is our home," Meelo muttered to himself, psyching him up. The fight was different than the one against Kuvira. This was bloodier, and he was discovering he didn't really have an appetite for it. But despite that, he bounced in place, ready to go go go. Patience wasn't his strong suit and he didn't have his sister's spiritual connection. But he was good at what he did, and observant when he needed to be. This would all be over soon.

A round object skidded along the ground towards Korra. Meelo saw it and darted forward, pushing Korra away and throwing a gust of air at the ball to deflect it away. It suddenly exploded.

The airbender was knocked back, landing on his side. The left side of his flight suit was singed and shredded and the skin on his arm and part of his jaw was burned. Dazed, ears ringing, he tried to push himself up. Blood dripped into his eyes, and all he could hear was ringing.

Another ball rolled their way. Korra grabbed it and lobbed it back the way it came. "Kuvira, take Meelo and go! Get back here as soon as you can, but..."

Korra glanced back at them as Kuvira picked Meelo up, his arm around her shoulder. The Avatar's eyes glowed and the muscles in her arms flexed as her whole body tensed up. "I'm going to finish this before anyone else who's not the Red Lotus gets hurt."


	19. Spirit Sickness

If the united defenders of Republic City were the anvil, Korra was the hammer. An Avatar in the Avatar State was a fearsome sight to behold, but an Avatar fueled by the anger at seeing so many friends and mentors teetering on the edge of life and death was downright terrifying.

The hardest part of the battle were the multitude of mecha tanks. The Red Lotus had pulled them back to their last defensible position and for every Red Lotus soldier there were three of the tanks. They provided cover in the form of those special weapons that shredded buildings, and any defender unlucky enough to get in the way.

She remained in control, though, as she smashed through the mecha tanks. Too many people fell in the time it took her to disable four, but a few minutes into the charge, and the tanks started to turn on each other. Relieved that Asami had come through, and with that threat out of the way, she drove the Red Lotus into the waiting human walls of a partisan army. Between Korra, the Red Lotus and Republic City Earthbenders, most of the market ended up leveled but the Siege of Republic City was finally over.

Korra hovered in the air, looking around for any stragglers or attempts to escape. But with the airships down and the Red Lotus army routed, it really looked like it was finally over. It wasn't. Not until Amaya was defeated and the other nations safe, but at least Republic City was free and now they knew how to remove the airships and tanks as a threat. Asami's team must have figured out how to take over whatever signal the Red Lotus were using to control the tanks. There might still be a central location where the controllers had hidden and they'd have to be rooted out, but the bulk of the fighting was over and maybe people could start returning to their homes.

She dropped to the ground, landing gently on a cushion of air, and with the help of a dozen earthbenders erected a temporary prison for most of the captured Red Lotus. The enemy earthbenders were to be loaded onto a ship until a more permanent solution could be implemented.

Someone counted: A little over fifty Red Lotus soldiers had held a city of tens of thousands hostage thanks to superior technology. There were parts of the street drenched in blood and Korra had to count backwards from ten to calm herself down. So much damage, so much death. She was sick of it.

A figure faded into view next to her and she nearly went into an attack stance until she recognized Jinora in her astral form. "Jinora? What's wrong."

"We need you at the Spirit Portal _right now_."

"I'm on my way!" Traveling by Glider Air, Korra could see something was wrong with the portal as she got closer and closer to it. It was wobbling and wavering, occasionally flickering out of view entirely for seconds at a time. Something was very, very wrong. There was a growing pain in her chest, like someone was stabbing her repeatedly and her limbs felt heavy.

She landed a block away, trying to catch her breath. It was as though the bond between herself and the spirit world was being severed. That, or Naga was sitting on her chest, making it hard to breath. "Raava?" She asked.

 _The Spirit World is ill, you must hurry._

How could the spirit world get sick? Korra started to run as fast as her legs could carry her, before whipping up a gust of wind to return to the sky. She landed heavily and awkwardly near the portal and steadied herself with her staff. She spied Jinora near the portal and jogged over. "Okay. I'm here."

"Korra, you look terrible."

Korra smiled roughly, and leaned on Jinora's shoulder. "You don't look so hot yourself." The airbender was pale, and her eyes blood shot. "I can feel it. Something's very wrong."

"It's like the Spirit World is pulling away from us."

Anything else Jinora had planned to say faded into the background as the portal started to flicker again. _No!_ Korra suddenly stiffened, and then went into the Avatar State. She rocketed through the portal a split second before it winked out of existence.

Jinora stumbled and fell flat on her rear, staring at where the portal had been just moments before. She reached out for it, closing her eyes and shifting into the lotus position. But she couldn't cross over. The Spirit World, and Korra, were out of reach.

The attack went badly at first. The Red Lotus were entrenched and their airships began to bomb the city, shooting at anything that moved. Whole buildings collapsed under the barrage, and Azula's forces hunkered down in an abandoned temple. The Fire Lord's face was grim as she peered out the corner of one window, trying to get a gauge for the enemy's position and how exposed they were to the airship. There were only a dozen soldiers with her, and Mako. The rest of the army had taken positions to protect people fleeing for safety or been pinned down elsewhere.

"We're lucky they haven't deployed mecha tanks," Mako observed. "Either they didn't bring any or they're waiting to surprise us with them."

"I'd count more on the surprise than them being unprepared."

"Yeah. Except I don't think they were prepared for this level of resistance," he said. "They underestimated the Fire Nation. They underestimated you."

Azula nodded. "You said you had a plan to end this. I think now is the time to voice it."

Mako nodded. "I don't think we can wait for Asami or Korra to contact us again. But if we can get up there we can take the ship over and use its weapons against the others."

One of the soldiers raised her hand. "How do you expect us to get up there?"

He turned to her and smiled.

Ba Sing Se was a mess. Part of the city was on fire, and an entire district had collapsed into some kind of sink hole. Bolin's heart sank as he saw massive camps throughout the farmland  
between the two walls.

The number of airships and mecha tanks dwarfed those that attacked Republic City. Ba Sing Se was so large that they'd clearly had to overcompensate. He wondered how Zaofu had fared. He hoped his mother-in-law was okay.

He didn't know what he was going to do if the people of the Earth Republic were held hostage. Alone, he didn't stand a chance, not until they figured out a way to knock out the Red Lotus' technology and even then it wouldn't be easy.

He peered out from his hiding place again. He wasn't alone. Mecha Tanks guarded the camps, and it appeared as though the vast majority of people in Ba Sing Se had been rounded up. Tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands. There were so many people that Bolin wondered how they were being held.

People might get hurt but they'd easily overwhelm the Red Lotus, no matter how many tanks they had. If he had to guess, there were two million people in those camps, many of them Earthbenders. There was a reason they weren't fighting back. He just needed to find out what it was and then convince everyone to rise up. Easy.

Bolin punched his fist into his palm and grinned. "Okay Ba Sing Se. It's liberation day!"

The world spun around Korra like a whirlwind. She landed on her shoulder and rolled through tall grass. The glow in her eyes faded as she sat up, trying to get her bearings. "Raava, what did you do?!"

 _The portal was closing, there was no time to warn you._

Korra looked back the way she came, her eyes widening in alarm. The portal was gone, as though it had never been there at all. She was cut off from the material world.

Cautiously, she got to her feet, taking a look around. The sky was a dull grey color with sickly looking green clouds, and the tall grass she'd landed in was dry and rotting. Every step cruched the grass, turning it to dust. The trees resembled ones she'd seen in the winter around Republic City - lifeless and leafless, branches like twisted fingers. She had the uneasy feeling of the trees watching her.

"You were right. The spirit world is sick." Korra rubbed at the shoulder she'd landed on, and started to walk. She couldn't help but think this was related to everything going on in the material world, and she had a tight, nervous feeling in her stomach that Amaya was behind it. She had been missing from the battle. In fact there hadn't been a sign of her since the damn. Korra thought that maybe the battle for Republic City had just been a distraction.

Somehow Amaya had found a way to close the spirit portals. In her own words, to return the world back to the way it was. But that didn't make sense. The only ones with the power to do that were spirits, and the Avatar. Powerful spirits, at that. And Korra had gotten the impression that there was more to it than that, some of what Amaya had said hinted that her goal went beyond that. But if Amaya was in the Spirit World she must have a way out.

The farther she traveled through the Spirit World, the more obvious the sickness was. Everything was deathly green or grey, spirit plants drooping and what spirits she did see barely registered her presence. They weren't corrupted like Dark Spirits, they looked more like people struck down by a pandemic, laying on the ground and occasionally reaching for her. Pale and faded, some of them looked like they were melting. What could this do to Raava?

Raava seemed to pick up on her worry. _I can feel their pain, but it is not affecting me._

That relaxed Korra somewhat. "It's been awhile since you talked with me."

 _You do not always need me. You are strong on your own, and it is always better to rely upon your own inner strength._

"That doesn't mean I don't want to talk to you. Or that you're incapable of being lonely."

A laugh like rippling water flowed through Korra's mind. _As long as you are not lonely, neither am I._

A smile ghosted across Korra's face. "Just… I know you're always there, but I wouldn't mind chatting now and again."

She still felt a little sick herself. Her connection to the spirit world meant some of what ailed it was ailing her. But then it occurred to Korra that maybe that could go in the other direction. So as she searched for the source of the sickness, she filled her heart and her mood with all the things that made her feel happy and whole.

Asami's smiling face greeting her in the mornings and the unique smell of leather, oil and shampoo. Lunches with Mako and Bolin that sometimes escalated into food fights. Naga and the puppies bowling her over. Tenzin, Jinora, Ikki and Meelo. Jia. Her parents. Republic City and the people cheering at her as she went by. Her thoughts of them made her more determined than ever to see an end to this crisis, and in the wake of her footsteps, fresh and healthy plants grew.

"I can't raise anyone in the United or Earth Republics." Fei pulled his headset off, looking at the woman sitting beside him. "They've gone silent."

"We're not getting those reinforcements, are we." The woman ran a hand over her bare scalp, then peered out the window to the city below. "The Fire Lord's forces stopped advancing. They're planning something. I can feel it."

"There's no way they can get up here," Fei assured her. He turned, putting the headset back on, then gasped. He stumbled back, falling out of his chair as fourteen people rose through the air in front of the ship.

Azula was at the front of the wedge formation, Mako on her right. They left a trail of fire and smoke behind them as they reached the top of their arc. She cut out her fire first, hitting the deck and cracking a burning whip at the nearest Red Lotus soldier, sending him scrambling away. The whip wrapped around his ankle and she flipped him over the edge. Mako landed besides her, throwing a quick jabs of flame. The rest of her soldiers rushed below decks as she and Mako advanced on the helm and control room. Only one other soldier tried to stop them and Azula mercilessly cut him down, before blowing the door inward.

Fei crawled under his console as his compatriot squared off to fight the Fire Lord. He didn't know how Azula was still alive after all the attempts to kill her, but she was terrifying with a cloth eyepatch and a fiery whip. He tried to push himself deeper towards safety as he heard his fellow soldier get thrown to the deck.

A hand grabbed him by the ankle and yanked him from cover. He twisted around, coming face to face with the Fire Lord's consort and a very intense jet of flame in front of his face.

Mako smirked. "You're going to show us how to operate the weapons on this ship. And just so you know, I'm the nice one."

"Y..yes sir!"

It took a great deal to make Bolin truly, deeply angry. He tried his hardest to be positive and upbeat, to fill a void that he felt was often present in the lives of his friends. Seeing them happy made him happy. Helping people made him happy. He liked _happy_ /.

What the Red Lotus had done to convince Ba Sing Se to surrender was nothing short of disgusting and it enraged him.

There were more than a thousand children under heavy guard. A dozen mecha tanks with their deadly weapons pointed right at the kids. According to some of the people he'd talked to when he'd snuck into the camps, they'd successfully resisted the initial attack, even while suffering heavy casualties. But then the Red Lotus had taken the children hostage and the resistance dried up. No one wanted to risk the kids, and who could blame them? Bolin didn't even stop to think what the Red Lotus hoped to accomplish, or what had happened to the elected council in after the invasion. His whole focus was on the kids. Save the kids and then worry about everything else.

There was an undercurrent of anger throughout the camps and Bolin knew he could tap into that. The fight hadn't really left the people, but as long as the children were in danger there was nothing to do but sit and stew.

Bolin wasn't going to sit and stew. Hours after hatching a plan, he crawled close to the tanks, counting how many there were. Directly across from him were three earthbenders waiting for his signal. His signal was going to be pretty spectacular if he did say so himself. He jumped up and planted his feet. He held out his hands, and the earth beneath each of the mecha tanks began to boil and melt. They started to sink into it and he jerked the lava up, covering them completely. He forced it to cool, trapping the tanks.

As soon as the tanks began to sink, the other earthbenders rushed in, attacking the guards. Somewhere nearby, someone blew a horn as the children were freed. People began to shout, those willing to fight surging through the camps and towards the Red Lotus forces. Like a tsunami, the wave of people picked up speed as more and more joined the rush. The Red Lotus on the ground were overwhelmed and the airships began to turn.

Bolin whistled sharply. Six earthbenders stepped forward, and launched him on a bed of rock straight up to the Red Lotus command ship. He nearly missed, making it only after jumping off the rock and grabbing onto a railing. He climbed on board, surprising two Red Lotus soldiers by dropping the rock right on top of them..

Inside the command room, he knocked out the pilot and then sat at the controls. None of it made any sense to him and that was even after Asami had given him some lessons because he'd wanted to learn to fly an airship. But the Red Lotus layout wasn't familiar and it wasn't as efficient as any Future Industries ship. He supposed he could figure it out eventually, but there wasn't time. He knew Asami had gone back to Republic City to figure out a counter to these ships. He glanced at the radio, then picked it up. It couldn't hurt to try to raise her, he just hoped it wouldn't take long.


	20. Spirits & Shadows

The weapons really did sound like thunder. Mako stared out the window as they fired in waves, the thunder sound rolling through the sky in a near constant cacophony. The first airship's frame shattered under the onslaught and crashed to the ground outside the capitol. The second caught fire, exploding above the palace as it attempted to escape, setting the building aflame. The third opened fire, and the airship rocked under the impact. His hands gripped the railing tighter.

"Keep firing," Azula ordered. Her normal calm demeanor was laced with an undercurrent of fury. A part of her was appalled at herself, and at the things she'd been forced to do. She wasn't a fighter, or had never really wanted to be. But circumstances had forced her into this role. "I want that thing destroyed."

"We're losing altitude, your highness." The woman at the helm was one of Azula's lieutenants. She had some small experience in steering an airship, but she was struggling to keep them in the air. "I think they hit the stabilizers."

The other airship was smoking, gradually dropping from the sky. Mako pulled the woman from the helm. "Get the Fire Lord out of here and abandon ship. I'm going to try the Sato Maneuver."

Once Azula and the rest of her soldiers were safely off the ship, Mako pumped the throttle, trying to get enough power and altitude to ram the ship into the other one. For a few tense moments he thought he'd miss, but he got the ships lined up, and then ran onto the deck and jumped over the railing. The command ship crashed into the other airship, its momentum pushing them both out and into the ocean.

Mako watched from the safety of the rooftop he'd landed on, then turned back towards the city. Fire Nation forces were already moving against the remaining Red Lotus soldiers, fighting loud nearby and smoke rising in the distance as the sun started to set. He hopped to the ground and went in search of Azula.

It was darker by the time he found her looking at the burning wreckage of the palace. He didn't say anything, but he stood next to her. She reached out and took his hand, squeezing once, before letting go. She didn't look away from the fire as she spoke. "Thank you for everything, Mako. This would have been much more difficult without you."

Azula looked at him, then. The bandage had fallen from her eye, revealing a deep gash that ran vertically from her forehead to her cheek. The eye was sightless, faded white and caked with dried blood. She studied him with her left eye, before sighing and doing the thing she should have done sooner. "I have to tend to my people now, and the Fire Nation must show its true heart in aiding the rest of the world. I don't… I can't… _We can't._ "

She bowed her head, and Mako cupped her face. He kissed her, and she held him stubbornly for as long as she could allow herself. Her voice was hoarse. "I can't go with you, and you cna't stay here. No matter how we feel about each other, we both know that your heart belongs to Republic City, and mine belongs to my people."

"Lets not be strangers," Mako whispered.

"Never," Azula promised.

Korra didn't know how she was going to save the Spirit World, let alone anything else. She had to find the source of the sickness and reopen the portals, but she couldn't figure out where to start. But even while sick, the Spirit World could provide. As though answering her unspoken prayer, a familiar looking cottage appeared from within the fog. She ran towards it. "Iroh! Oh tell me you're okay…"

The table where Iroh had his tea with his spirit friends was empty, the wood rotting and falling apart. There was a shattered tea-set in the center of it, but no sign of anyone around. It looked as though it had been abandoned for decades. She frowned, and made her way into the cottage. Like the table the building looked like it was on it's last legs. The last time she'd been here had been with Asami, ten years ago. It had been much more peaceful then. The building had been welcoming and cheery, the spirit world colorful and full of promise. Their love had been new and strange, and though it had turned into a slow burning ember, it was still strong. It pained Korra to see this place looking like it had been abandoned.

But inside, there was a presence. Shadowy and faint, but as Korra lit a fire in her palm, she could recognize Iroh standing there in front of her. "..Iroh? What happened to you?"

"As the spirit world suffers," he replied. "So do I."

Korra held her hands out. The old man was frail and thin, ghostly transparent. "Not if I can help it."

Just as she'd brought light to parts of the Spirit World during this journey, she brought warmth to Iroh and his cottage, her happy thoughts of the time they'd visited with him, and how he'd helped her when she'd been lost and alone. Iroh gradually grew more solid, thicker around the middle, his beard and smile returning to their full luster. He beamed at her. "Ah! You have grown much since last I saw you. I would ask how you and your wife are doing, but I am afraid we do not have the time."

"What's happening here?" She gestured around, indicating the way she'd found him. "The Spirit World is sick, but how?"

"I can only guess, but there are new and malicious forces at work here. It began a few weeks ago. Spirits growing sick. Black clouds in the sky. And then a few days ago, darkness swept across the Spirit World, and many spirits began to die."

"I need to find the source." She didn't know how she'd beat it. She still wasn't sure what she'd have to do with Amaya once this was said and done, and despite everything that still weighed on her mind.

Iroh seemed to pick up on her unsaid questions. He took her her hands. "You are the Avatar, but more importantly, you are _Korra_. Look within yourself for the answers to the questions you are afraid to ask. When the time comes, you will know what to do. Whatever that answer is will be uniquely yours."

He turned towards a window. "As for the source, I believe we both know where it is."

Korra followed his look. And Iroh was right. She knew exactly where she needed to look.

She turned back to Iroh, and then picked him up in a powerful hug. "Will you be okay? I don't know what'll happen when I leave you. You might get sick again."

"Nor do I. But perhaps it is time for this old spirit to fade away."

Not letting herself look back, Korra stepped out of Iroh's cottage, and took a step forward. Distance mattered little in the Spirit World and the ground rushed below her. With her next step she stood at the Tree of Time. Where there should have been the open spirit portals, there was nothing. The area looked even deader than usual, a thin layer of dust or ash on top of everything and the mountains surrounding more jagged and toothlike than she remembered. She thought she saw lava pouring from one of them.

"We meet again."

To Korra's left stood a man. He was familiar to her. At times he'd haunted her nightmares every day of the week, until she had moved past her fear and into acceptance. He couldn't scare her now, and staring at him, she only felt pity.

" _Zaheer._ What have you done to yourself?"

Her old demon resembled one now. Zaheer's form had grown larger, dark like the shadows his skin a deep shade of purple. He was partially transparent and he seemed to ripple with blue-ish black light. His hair, black like midnight, hung in loose tendrils down his back and his eyes glowed with an otherworldly light. Where he stepped, the earth died. "I let go. My last earthly tether was my body, and like some others before me I crossed the boundaries between men and spirits."

"You're the sickness," Korra lifted her fists, ready for the fight she knew was coming. "Why? You were one of the most spiritual men I ever met, as misguided as you were. Why would you poison the Spirit World? You're a dark spirit now."

"Not a poison. Not a sickness. A _cleansing_. Clear the forest for new growth, isn't that what Amaya told you?" He spread his arms out. "I discovered something, during my long explorations of this world. Not just the knowledge to teach a gullible young girl how to manipulate energy and shadow. Not just how to siphon bending from those spiritually attuned to you. I discovered the true history of our world. How one man threw everything out of balance. Mankind should never have been granted bending."

Korra narrowed her eyes. "You're going to take us back to when everyone lived on the Lion Turtles and spirits ruled the wilds? You realize they had warlords who abused their people back then, too, right? You wanted to give power to the people, but you've never stopped and thought about how to prevent that from being abused. There's no perfect _answer_ , Zaheer. Search all you want."

"You're only half right." Zaheer attacked first, shadowy tendrils shooting out of his fists like razor whips. Korra flipped out of the way, ducking low and then sweeping with fire. "The Avatar was never supposed to exist. You're the disease, Avatar. Bending is the disease. _Humans_ are the disease.

"What are you trying to cleanse?" Korra's mind raced, as she dodged more of Zaheer's attacks. She retaliated with earth and water, just enough to keep him distracted. And to let him keep talking. The more he talked, the more she learned.

"The source, Avatar. The source." Tendrils wrapped around her arm, and she grabbed them, wrapping them further around her wrist and then yanking Zaheer forward. Her elbow connected with his face, then she spun around and threw him into a rock outcropping. She bent it around him to hold him in place.

The world shifted around them and they were in some kind of gorge. Zaheer spun toward Korra with a powerful kick. She deflected it, springing to the right. The only thing he could bend were the shadows, she realized. Since he hadn't crossed through the portals he couldn't airbend. That gave her an advantage. She advanced forward, attacking with all four elements.

 _The source_ she thought to Raava. _It's the Lion Turtles, isn't it._

 _Yes. Like all things they are part of a cycle. But I do not know what will happen if his sickness kills them. Even if he removes the source of the bending, I do not know his intentions for humanity as a whole._

It could be that that Zaheer thought that would killing the Lion Turtles would remove bending from the world. She couldn't let that happen. The sudden imbalance would be catastrophic, and while she knew people were resourceful enough to adapt, she wasn't sure if they'd be able to react quickly enough to Zaheer completely removing the barriers between the Spirit World and the material world. Korra was certain that was part of his plan. Once, the barriers hadn't existed. Humans lived on the fringes of the world, protected only by the Lion Turtles. But if the Lion Turtles were dead, and humans had no bending, and both worlds merged… he might very well end humanity. Whatever his goals had been before, this corruption had turned him into a literal monster.

Korra surged forward, an unrelenting assault that had Zaheer constantly backing up. The scenery around them kept changing. Zaheer took them to a swamp. Korra took them to a plateau. They fought in a desert and under the ocean and in a place where light and shadows were reversed. Zaheer's attacks flowed like poisonous water, and Korra moved like living elements. In their last battle, Korra had been out of control. In this one, Zaheer was the one who was lost, drowning under the oppressive weight of his spirit corruption.

"Look at you!" Korra grappled with him, twisting his arm behind his back and flinging him into a mountain. She barreled into him, her shoulder connecting with his chest and the mountain crumbled around them. "Look at what you've turned into! You wanted everyone to be free but now you're a prisoner in your own body! Do you really want genocide?"

They crashed through a forest, and Korra skidded along the ground, surfing on the underbrush with her feet. Zaheer landed less gracefully, seemingly overburdened with his new shape. He got up roughly. "Give up, Avatar. I cannot tire, I do not need to sleep."

"On the contrary," A voice said. "Even spirits need their sleep, and you've disturbed mine!" Many feet chittered on the ground. The spirit resembled something like a centipede, though it had a human like face set into the top of its body and graspy mandibles arranged in an oval around its head.

Korra immediately purged her face of all emotion and her voice became monotone. "I'm sorry to disturb you. Zaheer has poisoned the Spirit World and I've been trying to deal with him. He's proven to be really annoying."

Koh twisted around, towards the former airbender. "Poison. I can smell it on you, it follows your every step. What you touch withers."

"Change requires sacrifice," Zaheer replied. "In the new world you would not have to skulk around in forests. We'll all be free."

"Free?" Koh leaned in, face to face with Zaheer and gave him a terrifying smile. "Tell me mortal, of this freedom."

"Freedom to destroy. But where's the fun in that?" Korra was certain that Zaheer would recognize Koh's name, but she was praying he didn't know what the face-stealer looked like and assumed this was just a powerful spirit. "What Zaheer wants is anarchy."

"Quiet." Koh turned towards her. "I want to hear it from _him_."

But Zaheer was an educated man. He kept his face impassive. "Freedom. For spirits, for mortals. First we must unshackle ourselves from outdated ideals, such as governments and Avatars. Then we can make the world the way it should have been all along."

Koh tilted his face, studying Zaheer. "And the Avatar, she wants to stop you. She wants to murder your new world and strangle it in the crib. Doesn't that make you… angry?"

"I have transcended emotion," Zaheer replied.

"What about Amaya?" Korra asked. "Do you feel nothing for her or what you've twisted her into becoming? Or is she just another tool to be discarded when she's no longer of use. Like P'Li?"

"I have let go my earthly tethers, and all of that is ancient history."

"They died for you, Zaheer. P'Li, Ming-Hua and Ghazan. Does that mean nothing to you? Amaya sees you as a father-figure. Is she a means to an end? Or will you let her go, just like you left your friends, unmourned and forgotten."

The debate between the Avatar and Zaheer was like a very interesting sport, one that Koh was paying close attention to.

Korra's face remained unmoving, and her eyes remained locked on Zaheer's face. "How does it feel, Zaheer? To be alone, and defeated. I beat you once, I brought you back to earth and this time I'll bury you. But there won't be anyone waiting for you, and no one will mourn you. You'll be forgotten. But that's okay, isn't it? you taught me to let go, after all."

And something passed over Zaheer's face. Pain. Regret. It lasted just a fraction of a second but Koh jumped on him. Zaheer's scream was abruptly cut off, and when Koh turned back to Korra, he wore the man's face.

Zaheer's body lay on the ground, the features of his face erased. Korra wondered what would happen to him. A human would remain in a state between death and sleep for the rest of their lives. But Zaheer's body had died, and what remained was his spirit.

"He'll fade away, his poison inert," Koh told her. Zaheer's face smiled. "I rather like this face. Thank you. But I do think that lovely wife of yours would make a wonderful addition to my collection…"

"I didn't come here to fight you, don't give me a reason," Korra warned, her inflection still flat.

"You were clever enough to lead him here. I wish no quarrel with you. But I had to try you understand." Koh retreated, quickly disappearing into his tree. His last warning echoed in the woods. "But do not be too clever, for that just leads to trouble."

The spirit world felt cleaner, healthier. Korra turned away from Koh and the omnipresent danger of the face-stealer. She knew she could reopen the North and South portals. It was the Republic City portal she was worried about. But when she'd done it the first time, she'd opened a new tear in reality. Even if the portal was closed, that thinner layer should still be there. She just had to find the right loose thread, and pull.


	21. Hope Fails

"Don't worry, girl." Asami ran her hand over Naga's paws, and the Polar Bear Dog whined. "You'll be okay, and so will Korra." Even if Korra had been missing most of the day since the end of the siege. She'd taken Naga back to her and Korra's home, hoping the familiar space would make Naga feel better. It had the side benefit of making her feel better, too. There was still a lot of clean-up to do. Many buildings had been damaged and a lot of people hurt, but Republic City and the Fire Nation were free of the Red Lotus. Fighting was still underway in the Earth Republic but she'd spoke to Bolin and he'd told her that Ba Sing Se had been liberated. Zaofu had reported success with Asami's technique for disabling the airships.

Tenzin had turned Air Temple Island into a temporary hospital to help tend the injured. Most of the airbenders had congregated there to help with those who weren't in critical condition. The waterbenders had relocated the most seriously injured to the hospital.

While there was an overall feeling of relief, it didn't feel like the worst had come yet. There was to much uncertainty. The Spirit Portals were closed. Korra was missing on the other side and Jinora had been unable to reach her. She'd said that it felt as though there was a wall between them and the other side now, but that before she'd been cut off, that it had felt like the Spirit World had been sick. And if that place was sick, then chances were it could affect Korra. And there was nothing Asami could do about it.

Sensing the direction Asami's mood was shifting, Naga moved around, getting up and half plopping on top of Asami's lap. At least her injuries hadn't been serious. It had been a near hit, according to a healer, but the shaft had missed anything vital. Asami laughed and gingerly hugged the Polar Bear Dog. "Naga! I need to get back soon."

But Naga had decided she was going to stay put, at least for the time being. Asami sighed, resolved to her fate. At least she and Naga were together, and they could worry about Korra together. The Spirit World wasn't exactly her area of expertise, but it was one of Korra's. She'd be okay, she'd find a way back. Asami rested her face into Naga's soft fur and lamented, "Why'd I have to fall in love with the Avatar, Naga?"

The great beast seemed to shrug, huffing. She didn't seem inclined to express any other emotion, leaving Asami feeling as though she were just talking to herself.

"I should be there with her. We both should. We're not the kind of people who just sit around while she's in danger, you know. So if you could get off me that would be helpful."

She nudged at Naga, who huffed again, whined, and snuggled more on top of her. Asami could picture the headlines. _Future Industries CEO found smothered to death a day after the liberation of Republic City_. It wouldn't be the worse death, but an embarrassing one.

Asami nudged Naga harder, until the Polar Bear Dog finally rolled off of her. She dug her fingers into Naga's fur and stroked. "When this is all over I'm going to ask Jinora to teach me spirituality." She's always been intrigued by the spirits and Spirit World, ever since Harmonic Convergence. Maybe it was time to do more than just design machines after spirits. Maybe it didn't work that way, but she could at least try. It would bring her closer to Korra and that was never a bad thing.

Freed of being laid upon, Asami got to her feet and made her way through the condo and to her workshop. There were a few things she wanted to pick up before she rejoined the others. She couldn't really help out with the wounded but at least she could help get started on reconstruction planning. As nice of a diversion as it was, she couldn't tarry much longer. "Okay Naga. Lets go. Naga?"

A low angry sound rumbled in Naga's throught. Asami opened a drawer and pulled out an electric glove. pulling it on, she crept to the doorway, listening for whatever it was that Naga was sensing. Something approached, footsteps, and then the crackle of fire.

The front door burst open in a wall of flame. Asami ducked back around the door frame, shielding her head from the debris and the heat. When she moved her head to look again, she saw Amaya standing in the doorway. Fire began to spread through the condo and Asami had a single brief and vivid flashback to the night her mother died.

Naga barreled forward and Amaya lept over her, a wave of heat and earth erupting through the hallway towards Asami. She rolled into the kitchen, and Amaya's water whip left a red welt along the side of her face. She dodged another attack, swinging the door to the ice box open. It slammed into Amaya's face and Asami did it once more for good measure. Then she rolled over the counter and grabbed two kitchen knives. She threw one and used the other to deflect a piece of marble counter that Amaya earthbent at her. The lights in the ceiling exploded, popping one after the other as the fire Amaya started continued to spread.

As Asami passed the stove, she turned the gas on, then ducked underneath a wave of water that came from the sink. Asami pulled her glove off, setting it to overload before tossing it onto the stove. If the apartment fire didn't do it… "Naga!"

She jumped into Naga's back and Naga rushed through the hallway and towards the windows overlooking Republic City. Too soon they reached the glass and crashed through it. Shards cut Asami's face and arms as she tries to shield herself, and then her stomach started to flip as they fell. A massive explosion ripped through the condo, a fireball blowing through the windows they'd just jumped through and the heat close enough to singe Asami's back. Naga grabbed onto the fabric of an awning with her powerful jaws, and they swung into another condo several floors down. Without stopping, Naga burst through the door and into the outer hall way. Asami directed Naga to the stairs, clinging tightly and hoping the old Polar Bear Dog would be able to hold out.

When they came out the front of the building, there was a crowd gathered. Asami looked back up to where the smoldering wreckage of her home was, smoke billowing out of the blown out windows. The fire was spreading to other floors andfFor a brief moment she thought she saw a figure standing in the shattered window. Asami looked around her at the people gathered, then swung off of Naga. She grabbed her furry face. "Naga, go find Jinora or Jia."

Naga whined, but Asami leaned in closer, her voice desperate. "Please, go find them. We can't fight her alone and I'll never forgive myself if something happened to you. Go!"

Naga hesitated, whining again but Asami shoved at her. "Go!"

She turned and ran, not looking back to see if Naga had listened to her. Amaya would be on the ground floor soon enough and she needed to lead her away from these people. There was a motorcycle parked nearby, so she hopped on it and quickly hotwired it. The engine roared to life as Amaya emerged from the building. Asami glanced in her direction, making eye contact. Amaya seemed unconcerned, if a little irritated. It was disconcerting.

Asami tore off down the street. Two blocks down and she glanced back. Amaya was close behind her, riding some kind of earthen disc. The bender had one of her hands held out ripping up parts of the street as she pursued. She started to bend them at Asami, trying to hit her or the bike or knock her off. Cracks raced through the street ahead of Asami, creating a sudden chasm. Asami gunned the engine and jumped the bike clean over it. She couldn't risk looking behind her anymore, though she felt a surge of heat and leaned the bike to the left to dodge a blast of fire. Fire and earth, and water... Amaya wasn't using her shadow abilities yet, Asami realized. Either she was saving them for a special occasion, or she was cut off with the Spirit Portals closed. It would be risky to count on the latter, but that gave Asami an idea of where she could lead her.

With just her wits and her fists for protection, Asami needed to find something else to help her. There was a lot of debris on the ground and she grabbed up a piece of piping as she sped by, just before taking a hard right. With a straightaway between her and the location of the Spirit Portal, she opened the motorcycle's throttle up. She hazarded a look back. Amaya was gone. When she returned her eyes to the road, she saw her attacker at the end of the street, a massive wall of concrete behind her and a sea of fire in front of her.

"Shit." Asami leaned forward, the bike's gauge redlining as she drove directly towards Amaya. Amaya stood her ground as the two women played a very dangerous round of chicken.

At the last moment she jumped from the motorcycle, tucking her legs under her body and rolling as she hit the ground. The landing was rough and she bounced several times, coming to a stop a hundred feet later, her jacket torn up and the skin on one shoulder was ripped open and bleeding with bits of pavement and rocks studding it. She pushed herself to her feet, head ringing. A sudden shift in the air behind her was the only warning she had. Asami dropped back to the ground, narrowly avoiding losing her head to a chunk of cement.

"I get the feeling this is personal," Asami said, scrambling back to her feet and facing Amaya. She looked around for something else to help her, and picked up a trash can lid to use as a shield, with her pipe as a club. She barely had a chance to get ready before Amaya charged forward. Asami swung with the pipe. Grabbing onto it, Amaya yanked Asami forward and Asami slammed the lid into the woman's head and let go of the pipe. She took off at a sprint, jumping over a water attack and grabbing onto a sausage-on-a-stick cart. She shoved it at Amaya and then kept on running.

"Give it up, you can't beat me. Just sit down, and accept your fate," Amaya called out. Her irritation was bleeding into her voice and Asami had the small comfort of knowing she was getting to her.

Still some ways away from her destination, Asami ducked through alleyways, upending trash cans and pushing dumpsters between them. She'd expected something like this, eventually. Someone using her to get to Korra, to hurt the Avatar by threatening her family. Maybe Amaya thought it would throw Korra off balance. Maybe she just wanted an eye for an eye. Asami for her sister. She didn't know and she wasn't going to ask.

"I promise I won't hurt you."

"I've heard that one before," Asami mumbled. She emerged on a street less than a block from where the Spirit Portal used to be. There were several parked Satomobiles, and she ran towards one, prying the hood up. Even an engine could be turned into a weapon. She'd told Meelo that once. And now she was going to prove it.

When Amaya emerged from the alleyways, she was greeted with twin exploding Satomobiles. The shockwave blew out every window for two blocks and sent Amaya flying through the windows of a store front.

Asami had never run so fast in her life. She felt like she was running out of options, but the farther she got Amaya from where people were, the better. This area was still evacuated and deserted and the Spirit Wilds were finally in view. Maybe Naga would get help. Maybe she wouldn't. Asami couldn't count on it. Naga was smart but there weren't many people who could guess what her plan had been and she'd been making it up as she went along. Asami was alone, against one of the most powerful benders they'd ever heard of.

So she wasn't expecting to see the Satomobile approaching, like a metal savior. It braked hard and skidded to a stop. Malina was at the wheel and Yuki and Ty Lee were both in the rear seats. Never happier to see them, Asami jumped in. "We need to get to the Spirit Portal. I don't think I've delayed her more than a few minutes."

Malina turned the car around, but Ty Lee climbed out. Asami reached for her, fingers only grasping at air. "Wait, Ty Lee! What are you doing?"

Ty Lee turned to them, a bright smile on her wizened features. "The same thing you'd do in my place. This is it, this is what I have to do. I've been on this world for too many years and seen too many things to not believe in destiny. Maybe we'll meet again in the next life, Azula." She patted the side of the Satomobile and Malina floored it.

Ty Lee watched them recede into the distance, a peaceful look under her war paint and love in her heart. One last battle, one last hurrah. She unfurled her fans, turning slowly as Amaya approached. Her battle stance looked as though it were a natural extension of herself.

Amaya looked her over, frowning. She didn't know what to make of this old Kyoshi warrior. "What do you hope to accomplish, old woman?"

"I've fought better benders than you," Ty Lee replied, voice steady and eyes like iron. She darted forward, her speed astonishing Amaya. She threw three attacks that Ty Lee dodged so easily that it was like Amaya were in slow motion. A jab in her shoulder made her left arm go limp and pain shoot down her spine. A blow to the back of her head dazed her, blurring her vision. She tried to turn towards the old woman, only for Ty Lee to step behind her and leave most of her left side disabled. Amaya stumbled, staring at her in disbelief.

Ty Lee lifted one fan, and jerked it back and forth. "Why don't you come here and show me what you're capable of."

"Who _are_ you?"

"Just an old circus freak."

"The Spirit Portal? Are you sure?" Malina asked. Asami tore her eyes from where she'd last seen Ty Lee before they'd sped away, and tried to get her emotions under control. There was no way the warrior would be able to hold Amaya off for very long. She'd volunteered for a suicide mission and ice gripped Asami's heart. _I'm sorry Azula. I couldn't protect her._

"There won't be anyone else for her to hurt there. And I'm hoping maybe her presence will help Korra find her way back."

"Your presence, you mean." Yuki smiled at her, though the expression was tight-lipped. "Don't you know that's how it always goes in the old romantic stories? Your bond is so strong it will pull her right to you, she'll save the day and our cute butts."

Was that the kind of bond this was? Asami thought about Ty Lee risking her life for the reincarnation of Azula, and knew that she would lay down her own for the next Avatar. She'd called her Azula but there'd been something in Ty Lee's eyes at that moment that told Asami her sacrifice was as much for her as it was for her past life. "At this point I'm willing to believe anything. How did you find me?"

"Ty Lee." Malina pulled into the remains of the old Avatar Korra Park. The lack of the Spirit Portal made the whole area feel off somehow. Desolate and wrong. Over ten years it had become a part of the Republic City skyline, and the spirit wilds were as much Republic City as the markets and concert halls and office buildings. "She practically forced us into the Satomobile and told us to drive to the Spirit Wilds. It was like she had a sixth sense or something."

"She said it was a very black aura," Yuki added.

"I sent Naga off to find help, but mostly I was trying to get her out of harm's way. I wasn't actually expecting anybody to come," Asami admitted. "But if she can find Jinora or someone else we might actually stand a chance."

Yuki hopped out of the Satomobile, and tossed a glove to Asami. "What if help doesn't arrive?"

Asami inspected the glove, then started to jog towards the center of the park. "Then I hope I meet you guys in the next life."

"I like your optimism," Malinda said. She followed, without needing to be prompted or even encouraged. But this was her city, and even without Korra's speech she would defend it. And she'd defend this amazing woman she was quickly growing to respect.

"Remember, this is a holding action." Yuki's glove sparked as she checked the charge. "Nothing fancy, just keep her busy and try not to die."

"Now you're sounding like a cop again." Malinda patted Yuki's shoulder. "Mako would be proud of you. You'll make detective yet."

She swallowed, and nodded. "I hope we get to tell him all about it."

"Yeah, that might be nice." Though Malina's face was neutral, there was the faintest blush on her cheeks. Yuki hoped they lived just so she could rib her about it later.

Asami crossed her arms, staring in the direction they'd come while the two police-women talked. She wondered how long Ty Lee could hold out. Not forever. Experience could only help someone so much against sheer power, and Ty Lee was not longer in her prime. Perhaps a bender like Toph could have bought more time. But this wasn't her fight. It shouldn't have been Ty Lee's either.

She couldn't count Ty Lee out though. While the woman hadn't invented Chiblocking she was the most skilled user of it in recorded history. She'd fought Team Avatar to a standstill and helped capture Ba Sing Se. She'd been Lord Zuko's most trusted bodyguard. She was second only to Suki in skill among the more recent generations of Kyoshi Warriors. She could hold her own, Asami believed. Just not forever, not against a bender like Amaya.

It wasn't much longer before Amaya emerged from the Spirit Wilds. She walked with a limp and her left arm hung listless at her side. Her face was bruised, but the longer she walked, the quicker her leg and arm were returning to normal.

She was dragging a body behind her by the leg, and Asami felt herself start to shake with rage. Amaya tossed Ty Lee's limp body between her and the three women. "She wouldn't stop. She wouldn't give up even though she was outmatched. Will you all fight so hard for a crumbling world?"

Asami looked down at Ty Lee. She was battered and bruised, blood staining most of her tunic but the thing that drew Asami's attention the most was the smile frozen on her face. Yuki had to grab Asami's arm to keep her from attacking.

Yuki cleared her throat. "You're under arrest for murder, assassination, sedition against the United Republic and all the nations of the world. Come peacefully and you will be granted a fair trial."

"You have a great sense of humor." Amaya spit on the ground. "I'll make this quick."

"So you'll kill us. What then? That won't make anyone release your sister or your son." Asami kept her voice calm. She could have emotions later, she could be angry later, she could grieve later for a woman she'd barely known. Right now she needed to buy time. She hoped there was something to buy time _for_ , but she needed to buy time.

"...what do you mean my son?" Amaya took a step forward, her face darkening. "What have you done with him?"

"He's been captured." Malina joined in on the bluff. "We have him and Lihua at a secure location and we're the only ones who know where."

"We can end this peacefully," Asami insisted. Her hands were held out, palm up, to show she wasn't going to make any moves. She couldn't anyway. Even on a bad day, Amaya outclassed all three of them combined and Ty Lee was proof of that. She'd clearly improved her control and siphoning of her sisters' bending, and Asami suspected if Amaya could use her shadow bending it would be stronger too. But it seemed as though the closed spirit portals were preventing her from accessing that power. A small thing, but even the small things could help them. She refused to look at Ty Lee's body again. If she did, she'd get angry. If she got angry, there was no telling what she'd do, but it would probably get them all killed.

"You can play with us, and it won't be any fun," Yuki said. "It's not like we can put up much of a fight. Or you could just come with us to your sister, and your son. We can still work something out. This war has done nothing but hurt people and you have to be as tired of it as the rest of us."

"There was a woman," Asami said, hoping against hope she could say something to reach her. "She joined the attack after Korra's speech, she fought in the square against your Red Lotus. She had a son, who'll now grow up without a family. We both know that pain, Amaya. Watching our mothers die. How many others will you force to feel the same way?"

"In pursuit of a greater world, there must be sacrifices." It sounded like something Zaheer would have said, and the way Amaya said it made Asami think he'd drilled it into her by rote. It made her uneasy, like it could have meant that Lihua had been right. There might not be any getting through to the Red Lotus's new leader.

"I am the Avatar of Liberation," Amaya said, her voice rising. She lifted her hands skyward. "Can you feel that? Like the strumming of a lute's strings. It's the Spirit World, and it's dying. Zaheer will tear down the barriers and two worlds will become one."

At first, Asami couldn't feel anything. Then it was like a vibration in the air, but she knew it wasn't Zaheer. Her heart beat with Korra's as one, she could feel Korra reaching for her, feel it resonate through her blood and her bones and deep inside her heart in a way that she'd never really felt this spiritually before. "Korra," she whispered, as a bright yellow veam flared to life, and the Spirit Portal stretched to the heavens. She turned towards the shadowed figure coming through, a shape as known to her as that of her own hands.

Too late, Korra shouted a warning. The shadow cast behind Asami by the light of the Spirit Portal rippled, razor thin spikes lashing. They sank into Asami's back and she stood there for a long moment, eyes wide and locked on Korra's. Then Asami slowly dropped to her knees. "Korra…?"

Fire flared to life in Korra's palms. The very earth around them shook and a stream nearby convulsed wildly as the wind picked up, violent and angry. Amaya expected to see the Avatar State but Korra's eyes remained like steel. A crack in the earth ran between her and Amaya. She barely registered Malina and Yuki. She only saw Asami slumped over, and Amaya's triumphant smile.

"At last," the shadow bender whispered.. "At last we end this."


	22. The End of All Things

Fire engulfed the plaza in front of the Spirit Portal as Korra and Amaya struck at each other simultaneously. It spread out to either side and shot into the air as both women threw everything they had at each other. The smoke cleared, and Korra ran forward, the ground rocking as she ripped chunks of earth out behind her. She threw them at the shadow bender, and Amaya deflected a rock the size of a Satomobile, only to take the full brunt of a stream of water as powerful as a fire hose. Fire followed the water, and Korra bent increasingly larger boulders at Amaya. Every attack Korra unleashed was stronger than the last and she was fueled by anger and justice. Her power was nearly overwhelming but Amaya juiced herself up, siphoning more and more energy and life from her sisters. Her earthbending tore cracks in the ground and her waterbending turned into a torrent. It didn't matter where Nuo and Lihua were; as long as they were alive she could tap into their reserves. She couldn't tire and she could fight for as long as the three of them could hold out.

And she still had a few more tricks up her sleeve. Amaya liquefied the earth beneath Korra, trying to trap her inside a rocky prison. The Avatar simply resolidified it, but Amaya took advantage of the momentary distraction, two dozen rocks crashing into Korra in rapid succession. They ranged in size from a human fist to an elephant koi. The attack staggered Korra and Amaya moved into the offensive, pushing her in a circle around the Spirit Portal. She relied heavily on her natural element, flame scorching the ground around them, singing Korra's clothing and nearly burning Yuki. Korra redirected each attack away from her or back at Amaya, trying to give Yuki and Malina a chance to drag Asami away.

Through a sea of fire Amaya pushed a wall of earth at Korra, spikes protruding from it like a porcupine-cat each tip pointed like fangs.

Digging her heels into the ground, Korra lifted her hands to hold the wall at bay. The earth cracked at her feet, and then shattered as she sank into the ground. Amaya pushed harder, the ground between them forming a crater, cracks spreading in a thousand directions from both their feet. Gritting he teeth, Korra pulled her arms to either side, ripping the wall in half and then crushing Amaya with them.

Amaya spun out of the way, and threw back everything she had. She whittled away at Korra with well aimed streams of flame and pieces of razor sharp rock that cut and lacerated the Avatar until she was bleeding from hundreds of cuts. Korra used her airbending to protect her eyes, and her earthbending to redirect the razor rocks elsewhere, but there were so many and they were coming at her so fast that she couldn't hope to avoid injury.

Amaya's energy seemed limitless, but Korra could tell it was having an effect on her. The tattoos through which she siphoned the power of her sisters were starting to ooze an inky black liquid, and there were cracks forming in her skin, more of that blackness shining out. It looked like the same kind of sickness that had infected Zaheer. Korra wanted to know what it was, exactly. Dark Spirit energy? Something new? Or something very, very old? But now wasn't the time. The fight was only going to get worse and she needed to end it soon. She called upon the Avatar State and the razor rocks came to an immediate stop.

Instantly, Amaya seized her chance, twisting the shadows around behind Korra's back into a spear with every intention of driving it into her heart and ending the Avatar Cycle once and for all. Someone yanked her head back by the hair. Asami's voice was hoarse in her ear. "Oh no you don't." Something sharp and hard was driven into her back, a cutting, piercing pain that threw Amaya's concentration off. The shadow spear dissipated, and Amaya stumbled forward. She turned and lashed out with earth and fire. It knocked Asami back into a raised piece of rock. She slid down to the ground, her vision blurring and the world seeming to spin around her.

Enraged, Korra rammed into Amaya, the two of them shooting out of the spirit wilds on jets of fire completely out of control. They blew threw a building and out the other side, swiped into an abandoned mecha tank and then crashed through an antique store.

Amaya got Korra in a head lock, squeezing tightly and twisting. The muscles in Korra's neck bulged as she resists, pounding her fists into the other woman's sides and back with all her might. Something cracked and she broke free, kicking Amaya into a Future Industries Appliances storefront. Korra landed in front of it, her body tensing, the veins in her arms popping as she started to move her hands in a bending form. The clouds in the sky began to roil and surge, lightning crackling among them. The wind whipped up into a frenzied hurricane, and Amaya lifted her arms to cover her face as she stepped out of the ruined shop. She stared in abject awe as Korra manipulated the wind and the water in the air. Flashes of lightning lit up the growing darkness as Korra drew everything into one intense and localized storm, right over Amaya's head.

Amaya moved to the right on instinct just before lightning came down from the sky. All that energy and power was fixated on one point, where Amaya had been standing. It demolished the ground between them, blasting Amaya away in the middle of her attempted escape. She skidded and bounced along the pavement, landing hard on a truck and knocking it over. She slowly got to her feet as the Avatar advanced on her, lighting striking the ground in a dozen places. Amaya realized that she could not beat Korra in a fair fight. It should have been obvious before, but it was definitely obvious now. But she refused to lose. She'd come this far, she'd burned too many bridges and too many people to give up at this point. Amaya would have to find a way. And she would find a way. Luckily for her, she didn't believe in fair fights.

Forming a plan, she jumped onto a rolling wave of pavement, surfing it away from the Avatar. Lightning struck the ground at seemingly random intervals as she surfed the pavement, Korra giving chase as gusts of wind threatened to dislodge Amaya from her earthbent transport. She glanced behind her, gauging the distance and then reached out with her hands. The supports for several buildings on both sides of the street cracked, then crumbled. With a clattering roar they came crashing down on top of the Avatar.

Only stopping for a moment to catch her breath, Amaya stared at the destruction she'd caused. She doubted that was the end of Korra. She'd need something to keep Korra busy, to distract her, so she started to round people up. There were defenders trying to get home, even some children who'd been picked up by their families. All these people who were trying to get back to normal and they were exactly what she needed. Amaya encased them all in an earthen shell, and waited for Korra to show herself. Closing her eyes and drawing her fists together, Amaya drew more strength from her sisters. She had to connect more with the techniques that Zaheer had taught her. The shadow bending and the three elements she had access to. Shadows moved and undulated around her, shooting tendrils into the air. They twisted like abyssal whips, ready to strike at Korra - or the hostages.

Underneath the rubble, Korra seethed. She was protected by a bubble of air and an earthen shelter she'd bent at the last second. Amaya was getting to her. It would be so easy to give into her anger. The day had brought back too many uncomfortable memories and then Asami…

But if she was angry, she wasn't going to win, not against someone as zealous as Amaya. It was a battle she couldn't afford to lose. She forced herself to calm down, purging her mind of the image of Asami flung about like a rag doll and focusing instead on how to defeat this woman. She needed to bring her down, or wear her out, find some kind of opening she could exploit. Once she had Amaya pinned down she could try to end it without further bloodshed. If Amaya could even be talked down. Korra flexed her fingers, her hand forming the form that could remove Amaya's bending. Not yet. Not unless she had to.

Korra rose on a mountain of cement and steel, pushing the rubble off of her, until she towered over Amaya. It also gave her a good view of the damage they'd caused. The devastation from even in this short fight made her sick and it was at least partly her fault. She could beat Amaya by brute force, summoning up a typhoon or ripping open a hole to the core of the planet, but there might be nothing left of Republic City by the time they were done. That wouldn't be much of a victory.

And worse, Amaya was starting to come apart at the seams. Her tattoos' glow had turned darker, the ink leaking like blood. Shadowy cracks were forming in her skin, and her eyes had the same eerie glow as Zaheer's. There were all those tendrils waving in the air, surrounding Amaya like a spikey shield. If Amaya pushed herself much harder, she'd burst - and Korra didn't want to know what that would do to everything around her.

Amaya looked up at the Avatar, standing on her mountain of steel like some kind of goddess. She shifted into an attack stance, hands gnarled like claws, and then unleashed a torrent of fire. And laced through the fire were the shadows of the people she'd taken hostage the tendrils wrapped around and threaded through the flame so that even if the flame was stopped it would be too late to avoid the shadows.

Korra easily caught the fire, bending it away, but the shadows took her by surprise. One tendril stabbed her through the stomach, another caught her by the wrist. A third wrapped around her neck and started to squeeze. She airbent, shooting up and away, shattering the tendrils as she took off. They dissipate like fog, and Korra rose through the air in a sharp arc. She landed on the ground in front of Amaya. With a single flick of her wrist, she shifted the prison with all the innocent people in it down the street and away from present danger.

"You need to stop this! You've killed so many people! At what point is any of this _worth_ it?" There was water from a broken pipe and Korra started to draw it to her, forming a sort of shield around her body.

"What right did you have to change the world? Why should one person have the power to change the fates of the rest of us?" Amaya spoke so vehemently that she had to wipe spittle from her chin. "The Avatar isn't just obsolete, you never should have existed!"

"Are you even listening to yourself? That's exactly what you're doing, that's exactly what Zaheer tried to do. You're trying to change the world to suit what you want without thinking about what everyone else wants!" Korra had moved close enough that she could feel the heat washing off of Amaya's form in pulses. Fire flickered in the air between them and her water shield protected her.

Amaya clenched her fists, her muscles tensing. Her tattoos suddenly burst and she jerked, as though she were a puppet whose strings had been cut. She looked down at her hands and the red oozing from her markings. "Oh." Her sisters were gone, the presence that had been a part of her life for so long empty and void. Amaya felt the last shreds of her soul blacken and wither.

"They're dead, aren't they." Korra's voice was gentle, understanding. But her tone changed. Harder, but still compassionate. "Lihua and Nuo. Whether they wanted this or not, you killed them and you're truly alone now. Whatever this darkness is within you, I can help. Let me help you, Amaya. Lets end this cycle of death."

Korra raised her arms, then started to loop water around Amaya, attempting to purify her of any corruption or dark spirit energy. It was a long shot, but one she had to try. She just needed Amaya to cooperate and this could finally be over, the shadow of the Red Lotus gone at last.

"I understand, now." Though she was distracted by whatever thoughts were going through her head, the water seemed to have a small effect on Amaya. Pain flickered on her face and she looked at Korra as if seeing her for the first time. She pushed back at the water, and shadows burst from the ground like a thick, viscous liquid, rising up Korra's body and then engulfing her. She was pulled to the ground, the liquid shadow trying to force their way into her mouth and nose. It choked at her, flowing towards her lungs and pushing down her throat with increasing force. She gagged, the sensation of drowning one inherently unfamiliar to her as a waterbender. But this wasn't water she could bend away and she was close to panicking. The Avatar State kicked in, stronger than before. Korra slammed her foot on the ground, and Amaya was thrown into the air by the pillar of rock Korra had summoned. The liquid shadow receded and Korra coughed, greedily sucking in great lungfuls of air and overcome by a sensation of the world closing in around her.

Her voice was gravelly when she was able to speak, and she stood a little unsteadily. Her eyes flickered back to normal, and she rubbed at her chest. "What do you understand? Don't tell me you're going to make a speech about cutting your earthly te-"

A sheet of rock suddenly ripped out of the ground and slammed into Korra. She landed on her back, momentarily stunned before it dropped on top of her. It only took her a few seconds to free herself and regain her bearings, but Amaya had already taken off in the direction of the people Korra had pushed away from her. Whatever she had planned for them, it couldn't be good.

Korra rolled her shoulders, then wiped blood from her nose and ran after her. Her skin stung in a thousand places and her lungs felt heavy but she couldn't give up. Even with her sisters dead, Amaya had access to their bending, some how. As though she'd siphoned everything from them. She was already dangerous and now she was desperate. Korra wouldn't fall for some of those attacks again. She was faced with the very real possibility that Amaya wouldn't surrender, and she'd be forced to do something drastic.

 _When the time comes, you'll know what to do_.

But she didn't. With every second that passed, Amaya put more people in danger, and more of Republic City got damaged. For the first time in years she wished she could talk to her past lives, though she knew what some of them would tell her. Aang would tell her to take Amaya's bending. It was a thought that was increasingly occurring to her, but even that might not eliminate Amaya as a threat. It also wasn't exactly something Korra was all that willing to do. Kyoshi's solution would be a lot more violent, but that wasn't a step Korra was willing to take either. There had to be another way to stop her, something she could do to save more lives.

She rounded a corner in time to see Amaya fling the earth prison and everyone inside right at her. The people inside screamed, the sound cutting through Korra's heart. She returned to the Avatar State, catching them and setting them gently down. No one appeared to be hurt, but Amaya had disappeared.

"She's just going to keep hurting people," Korra realized. That was her strategy, force Korra to run around, exhausting herself trying to save as many people as possible, until she was weak enough to be dealt a final blow. She knelt, pressing her hand to the ground. Spirit Energy was strong in Republic City, she just needed to find the strings that Amaya's passage strummed. At least Amaya would be wearing herself out too, their battle turning into one of attrition.

The flow of energy pointed back towards the Spirit Portal. Korra realized if she got inside, she could do irreparable harm to the Spirit World, worse than Zaheer. But before she could get moving, the energy shifted again, away from the portal and towards the sea. Towards Air Temple Island.

"Oh no."

Many of the airbenders had returned to Air Temple Island, where they were taking care of some of the walking wounded. The most seriously injured were in Republic City proper, either at the hospital or at any number of tent villages and camps. But Tenzin had volunteered the island for those who were able to be moved to help ease some of the congestion. Things were going pretty efficiently, and he was ready to send for more people to be brought over when the water started to recede from around the island. Tenzin walked towards the shore, then stopped and stared in horror as the wave rose up. He turned around, running towards the grounds where the wounded were. "Everyone! Everyone get to high ground! Get to the other side of the island, move!"

The water rose higher, and higher above them, blotting out the sun as people scrambled to move the wounded and get them to safety. Suspended in the wave was a figure. Amaya stared down, drawing more and more water into her wave.

"Dad!" Rohan tugged at his hand. "We need to go, now!"

"No, son." He shook his head. "Have everyone take as many wounded as they can carry and fly away."

"But." The thirteen year old looked at his father uncertainly.

"Go, Rohan. I'm counting on you. I'm going to buy everyone some time." He wrenched his arm free of its sling, and started to whip up a whirlwind. It might not be enough, or it might just be enough to funnel some of the inevitable deluge away, but he had to try, for his family and his people. The Air Nation counted on him.

One airbender against a tidal wave. Amaya would have laughed if she wasn't concentrating so hard. But then something curious started to happen. Airbenders began to join Tenzin. One by one, more and more of them. They came to his side, or stood behind him, adding their power to his. The whirlwind increased in intensity, spinning faster and faster and growing as wide as Amaya's wave.

"I thought I told you to get everyone away!"

"I'm sorry, we couldn't leave you."

Tenzin couldn't spare to glance at his son, but a proud look crossed his face. Maybe this would be enough after all. His confidence grew and he felt hope.

"We all stand together." Bumi stepped into sync with his brother, his grey hair whipping around his face.

"I thought you were helping out at the Northern Water Tribe."

"Guess I got back home in time for the big finale, didn't I. Glad I didn't get to miss it! This'll be a story for the ages." Bumi's voice was strained. He wasn't as confident in their ability to hold back Amaya's wave. But if his brother felt hope, then he could feel hope. He'd faced worse odds in his life.

The ground had turned to mud, and it grew increasingly hard to maintain balance. Tenzin's heart raced, his arm in agony. The massive wave crested, pushing against the windstorm that was the only shield between the airbenders and the wounded, and a watery death.

The ground suddenly solidified under their feet, growing as strong as metal and twice as durable. Kuvira strained to give the Airbenders enough purchase in the muddy ground. She'd brought Meelo here, and she could have left at any time, but here she was. The Avatar was a bad influence.

Korra hit the bay like a runaway train. The wall of water rose up in front of her, still too far away. She spun up a whirlpool, shooting into the air on a wave of her own. She felt the bay straining, could feel the effort Amaya was going through to maintain it. She started to tug at the water, pulling it away from Air Temple Island. A few more seconds and Amaya's wave would be gone but the tsunami started to crash down towards the island, breaking through the airbender shield.

Korra screamed in anguish, pulling at the entirety of the bay with all of her might. The wave jerked back and then collapsed, a third of Air Temple Island disappearing under the water. Korra stilled the waves and rocketed towards the island.

Amaya stepped onto the island, surveying the wreckage. She nudged her foot at a man, and sneered. "Too old. But you, you're just right." She drew a knife, then picked up a drenched young airbender. He didn't have his tattoos yet, but Amaya would simply carve them into his skin and take his airbending for herself. But the boy was suddenly blown out of her grip. She turned in time to see the Avatar charging towards her.

"Don't you _dare_ touch Rohan!" She engulfed Amaya in fire, then purged the flames and punched her in the face, breaking Amaya's nose and sending her skidding along the soaked ground.

Breathing heavily, Korra looked around. She didn't know how many people had been washed away. She couldn't see Tenzin, or Pema, or Ikki, she didn't know where Jinora was. So many of her friends, of her people. So many innocents, and even those who weren't entirely innocent. None of them deserved this.

Korra's heart broke, and in a tired voice she stated, "You're never going to stop, are you."

"Take away my bending," Amaya said. She spit blood and teeth out as she climbed to her feet. "And I'll keep coming. The Red Lotus may die, but something new will grow on its grave. I am the seed. Take away my bending, I dare you, and then I'll show you revolution."

"Revolution? This war you started? All these people you've killed? You threatened the whole world!"

Zaheer had trained her. This whole time that madman had continued his work. What would stop Amaya from doing the same thing, from her own jail cell? The world's balance could be forever altered. In some ways it already was.

Amaya attacked, whipping water at Korra. She deflected the blows easily, dodging several shadow spikes that erupted from the ground. One arced suddenly, running one of the unconscious airbenders through. Korra felt the shock as though she'd been stabbed herself.

"Oops. Why don't you come closer? Maybe I won't miss this time." There was no humanity left in Amaya's eyes. Whoever she'd been before, whoever she would have been without Zaheer's influence, that person was dead now. All that remained was a ghost.

Korra's shoulders sagged. Sometimes the answers were right there all along. She just hadn't accepted until now what it was that she had to do. She could have ended this sooner. She could have done so days ago, at the start of the Red Lotus insurrection. She had the power and the strength to shut Amaya down in a heartbeat and the only thing holding her back had been her unwillingness to make the hard choices. Her inability to see that there was nothing in Amaya to save and yet, even now, part of her wondered if there might not be another way. But it was too late.

She could feel the metal from Asami's act of defiance, still lodged in Amaya's back. Korra lifted her hands, then twisted them and drove the shrapnel right into Amaya's heart.

Amaya fell forward as Korra slid to her knees, heaving.


	23. A Journey Just Begun

Aftermath

With shaking hands, Korra searched through the wreckage of the Air Temple. Many people were in the water and she waterbent them to dry ground or pulled people from rubble. She restored breath to the lungs of those she could save and closed the eyes of those she couldn't, remembering their faces, if she didn't know their names.

She feared for Asami, but there were so many here, far too many. Airbenders and the wounded they'd tried to protect and if she'd just been _one second faster_ she might have saved more of them. Even one weighed heavy on her heart, but she forced herself to keep going.

When she found Tenzin she nearly burst into tears. Her mentor was alive, but barely, and when he opened his eyes to look at her she was overjoyed. She laid him with the rest of the people she'd found, and continued to help.

Bit by bit, moment by moment, with Korra's help the airbenders came together again to aid their own. She dried blankets and towels so that people could be laid out comfortably. She had someone go to the mainland to get more help and to find out if Asami was okay. Korra wouldn't be able to rest until she knew, and on top of that worry, they'd need more healer to help with the injured. There were a lot of people who'd been hurt by debris and Korra couldn't heal them all on her own, not without exhausting herself to the point of being useless.

It at least let her focus. With so many people suffering, Korra couldn't let herself dwell on her own pains. Grief, and guilt. The guilt over killing Amaya. The guilt over being unable to see that the Red Lotus had remained under her nose all along. Or the grief for Zuko, for the airbenders, for Ty Lee and so many others. People whose names she hardly knew or didn't know. She was alone in her thoughts. Mako and Bolin were busy helping out other nations. Asami was… fine. Asami _had_ to be fine. For one brief moment Korra felt herself start to lose it, but she looked out over the wreckage of Air Temple Island and steeled herself.

In the coming weeks and months there'd be so much to do. More than new elections in Republic City. They would have to root out the rest of the Red Lotus before they melted back into the people. Find Amaya's son, Masaru while he was still young enough to maybe break Amaya's brainwashing. There was so much to rebuild, perhaps the most rebuilding since the end of the Hundred Year War. All the nations had suffered together, and together they'd rebuild and come out of this stronger for it. Korra knew that if it could be done with a body and with a mind, it could be done with nations and cities. She would have to lead, before people decided to give up their freedom in exchange for too much security. She thought about that, and what she'd say and do while she helped. It was better than dwelling on the state of her friends and family.

By the time the search was called off for the missing, the sun had set. They were left with six Airbenders unaccounted for, a dozen dead and another two dozen injured. It was devastating. The numbers might be few compared to Republic City or the world as a whole but as a proportion of the Airbender population it was staggering.

Among the non airbenders who'd been on the island, they'd lost another five. Two others were missing, including Kuvira and they were presumed dead as well. Korra felt an odd sense of guilt over Kuvira. For all the troubles that Kuvira had caused, she didn't deserve to die, not like this.

 _I'm sorry, Aang. I couldn't protect them._ She silenced that thought almost as soon as it had intruded. Tenzin would blame himself even more and she'd need to convince him he'd done everything he could. She couldn't do that if she was blaming herself, as tempting or true as that might be.

"Korra!"

The sound of Jinora's voice made her lunge to her feet. She was lifting the younger woman up in the air before she'd registered she wasn't alone. Her siblings were there as well. They all looked as haggard as she felt, and Meelo shouldn't even be standing at the moment, but she didn't care. She enveloped all of them into her arms, hugging as tightly as she dared, just trying to reassure herself that they were here and they were alive. She hadn't realized how much she'd been worrying about them until they were safe and sound. But they were safe. They were her family and they were _safe_.

"You're okay. You're all okay. I'm so relieved. Your dad is probably worried sick about you. Rohan is with him. They're both okay."

"Have you seen our mom," Ikki asked, squeezing out of Korra's grip. She stayed close though, her body tense and just so slightly shaking.

"Yes. She was on the other side of the island moving some of the wounded when the wave came down." Another person that Korra had hugged the stuffing out of until Pema had made her put her down. Pema had been such a steady presence in her life for so long now that the thought of losing her had been gut wrenching.

"Have you…" She wet her lips, setting the rest of them down but keeping a steady hand on Meelo. "Heard from Asami, or anyone else?" She promised herself she could take it, whatever answer they gave her.

"I was with Jia in the hospital when they brought her in," Ikki answered. "She didn't look too good but she was breathing."

Korra exhaled sharply. Asami was okay. At least for the time being. It was more than she'd feared but for now it would have to do. "Jia was hurt?"

Ikki nodded. "One of the airship cannons hit our headquarters. Like really bad. A lot of people there were hurt. Aunt Kya and Lin were moved before that though. They had to…" Ikki trailed off.

"They had to remove Lin's leg," Jinora finished for her, her voice rough.

Stunned, Korra just nodded her head. The Chief was hurt. The invincible woman that Korra once thought was made of literal platinum. The one two three punch of Asami, the airbenders and now Jia and Lin was making her dizzy. All she needed now was someone to tell her Mako and Bolin were hurt too and she'd lay down and not want to get up.

"Oh. I should…check on them." She put her hands on Jinora and Ikki's shoulders, squaring her own and forcing her feelings down. "Your dad needs you. Your people need you. Take care of them."

She pointed at Meelo, who grinned sheepishly at her. "And _you_. Get some rest. Those burns aren't going to heal themselves."

"Ladies like 'em right?"

"Yes Meelo, the ladies will love them."

Power was out in most of the city as Korra made her way through it. She'd landed at the docks and then cut through side streets towards the hospital. It was a lonely walk, but it gave her time to prepare herself for what she was going to find there. While a half-dozen healers had come to Air Temple Island after Korra had sent for help, the rest were at the hospital or spread throughout the city helping everyone else.

More guilt gripped Korra's heart. She'd chosen to stay and help in one place. She'd had to hope that there'd be enough help everywhere else. She could have gone anywhere and she'll never know if she'd made the right choice. But her city had suffered and her wife could be dying and Lin had lost her leg. Korra just couldn't be everywhere at once. Days like this, she wished there were a dozen Avatars. One for each nation and each tribe and a few to spare for bad days like this.

There was power at least, at the hospital. Someone, Varrick maybe, had done a great job of rerouting power to the one building that needed it more than any other. When Korra stepped inside, she was struck by how many people there were, yet how orderly it was. She'd probably missed the chaos. The halls were filled with hurt people and Korra was delayed further, helping where she could. She got a lot of smiles and hopeful looks and she hoped Asami wouldn't mind the wait.

She found Jia propped against a wall in a hallway near the stairs. Her head was bandaged and her clothing was bloody and torn. Korra felt around until she was sure that Jia would be okay, then gently poked her in the nose. "So I hear you got blown up."

"Ikki shielded a bunch of us," Jia said, a tired ache in her voice. "A big bubble of air. We'd all be dead if it wasn't for her. Never seen anything like it." She focused her eyes on Korra, and the Avatar's disheveled state. "You look terrible.

"You can be pretty for all of us right now." Funny, Ikki had neglected to mention that part. "Good." She kissed Jia's forehead. "I'm glad you're okay, you're family, you know that right?"

Jia felt tears unexpectedly well up in her eyes. Hearing that, right now of all times, was something she hadn't known she'd needed. She didn't have blood family that would accept her anymore and she suddenly realized she didn't have to face tomorrow alone. But for now, she knew Korra needed to be elsewhere. "Go to your wife, she needs you. I'll be fine."

"Okay. Just rest. You can stay with us while you recover." Or Ikki, but the Airbenders had enough problems and Korra knew Jia wouldn't want to impose.

"You'll need to stay with me," Jia said. She smiled sadly. "Your condo burned down."

She looked at Jia with a blank face as the words weren't quite registering. "...what?"

"Asami and Naga were there when Amaya attacked. They got away but the whole building went up in smoke. Naga found us at the headquarters. She's okay too. She's up with Asami right now." Jia squeezed Korra's hand. "They're both okay, but they need you right now."

"What about the puppies?" This time, it was Korra who felt pricks at her eyes. She was exhausted, emotionally drained, and apparently now homeless. But the _relief_ she felt at knowing Naga was okay, and Asami and Jia and the kids (she'll always call them the kids) and Tenzin…

"They're still with Zhu Li, last I heard."

Korra felt her shoulders start to shake. It was all beginning to add up to a breakdown. "They're really okay? Naga and Asami?"

"I haven't heard anything different." Jia shook her head. "So I'm going to sit here in blissful ignorance until I know either way."

"I'll let you know." Korra pushed herself up, then tiredly ascended the stairs to the second floor. The more seriously injured were up here, some of whom wouldn't live through the night. Korra was wounded too, a puncture in her stomach and gashes all over, but she'd been ignoring them all day and she was going to continue to ignore them until she saw with her own eyes that Asami was alive.

She checked every room she passed. Many of the faces were people she knew, and she gave them a thumbs up or a smile. Anything that gave them a little peace of mind and in term she felt a little more at peace.

Lin and Kya were sharing a room half way down the hall. Kya was asleep this time, but Lin was awake. She didn't smile, she didn't even scowl. She just looked at Korra with blank, exhausted eyes.

"Asami will build you a new leg," Korra promised. Lin simply shrugged, and looked away, out the window. Korra frowned, but further attempts to cheer her up were answered with silence.

She finally found Asami another door down. Asami was laying on her stomach, asleep or unconscious it was hard to tell. Her torso was wrapped in bandages, and there was a little seepage but not enough to call for a nurse or change them herself. Naga lifted her head, but lacked the energy to bowl Korra over.

Korra's chest tightened, and she moved slowly in, sinking into a chair between Naga and Asami. One hand fell onto Naga's head, fingers digging into her fur. The other brushed hair out of Asami's face. Asami didn't stir, though her head moved a little in Korra's direction and she made a murmuring sound.

Flopping her head over the back of the chair, Korra swallowed hard, blinking her eyes as they started to run over. She needed to sleep, she wanted to, but two things stopped her. She needed to see Asami's eyes. Needed to assure herself that her wife was still here and wasn't going anywhere and for some reason she thought that if she could see her eyes just once that would be proof. Besides that, she knew that if she closed her eyes for long enough she'd see Amaya die again, she'd feel the metal move and know it was by her hand. She wasn't ready for that yet.

So much destruction, so many grieving families, and there was no telling if the cycle of violence had ended with Amaya.

"Avatar Korra?"

Korra lifted her head to see a nurse. She smiled at him. "Yeah?"

"Anything I can get you?"

"Some water actually. And there's a woman down the stairs, named Jia. Can you move her in here?"

"I'll see what I can do." He nodded at her.

"Thank you." Korra said, but he was already gone.

Asami murmured something again, and Korra turned her head. She looked into green eyes and only then did the tears finally start to fall. "You're okay, you're going to be okay. I love you, sweetheart." Korra whispered the words over and over again, stroking Asami's hair until Asami murmured her name and closed her eyes, drifting back to sleep.

Adrift

At first, Kuvira had drifted, kept afloat by pieces of debris washed off of Air Temple Island. But no one had come for her and by daylight the shore was nowhere to be seen. But Kuvira was nothing if not stubborn and for three days she'd paddled, until finally she'd found land. It was an unfamiliar area, no part of the Earth Republic she'd ever been and probably not the Fire Nation. Past the trees on the coast was dry brushland. But at least she was home on the ground, again. She looked to mountains in the distance, and decided that that was as good a direction as any.

She crossed miles of the brushland, stubborn as a mule-ox. The mountains seemed to be so far away as to be unreachable, but she kept walking, mile after mile, until she reached the foothills and her first fresh water in days. Resting in the shade of a tree and careful to not drink too much too quickly, Kuvira stared back the way she'd came. Would Korra think she'd ran away? Or that she'd died in the wave as some act of repentance. She didn't feel _particularly_ repetent.

It was a long, winding trail up the mountain and Kuvira had lost count of her footsteps ages ago. Her feet ached, but something kept her moving, something drew her, and she forced her feet to move one step after the other. Guard. Soldier. Uniter. Prisoner. Defender. And now Wanderer. She'd been all of those things and she didn't know who Kuvira was any more. It was as though the sea had washed away her past, and the future before her was uncertain. She supposed her request for Korra to speak for her no longer mattered. She was free, and she intended to stay that way. If everyone thought she was dead, then she'd take advantage of that.

Nestled in a part of the mountain shielded from the wind was some kind of shack. It had been built out of metal and wood, and there were all sorts of contraptions. She recognized weathervanes, and even what looked like a miniature toy airship. But others made no sense, and looked like strange collections of springs and coils. She leaned against a stone wall, and it was then that her energy gave out. As her vision went black, she saw someone approach.

When she came to, she was laying in a bed. The window was open and she could see stars twinkling in the sky. Kuvira tried to sit up, but a woman's voice tch'd her. "Don't try to sit up, lady. You're dehydrated and you can't walk anyway, not on those feet."

Kuvira craned her head, searching for the sound of the voice. She spotted a figure sitting on a stool at a work bench. The woman turned to look at her. She was a few years younger than Korra, with piercing brown eyes set into a dark face. She wore some kind of goggles on top of her forehead. They appeared to be spring loaded with multiple lenses. Her face was smudged with grease in places. Her clothing was simple worker leathers, a sort of overalls with no shirt.

She swallowed. "Thank you for helping me."

"I'm Shai. What's your name?" Shai hopped off of the stool and came over to the bed with a water skin.

"...Ela," Kuvira answered. "My name is Ela."

She didn't know who Ela was either. But maybe she could find out.

Farewells

It took more than three weeks to oust the Red Lotus from the Earth Republic, with some of the fighting growing more and more desperate as the Red Lotus realized they were losing. But with the list from Lihua and aid from General Iroh and the United Forces, Korra was able to round up most of the most powerful supporters and members. Amaya's son was among those unaccounted for and Korra knew that he'd resurface sooner or later. She just hoped the circle of violence could still be ended. But the Earth Republic was freed once again, and that was a victory she was willing to celebrate once she'd reunited with Bolin in Ba Sing Se. Prince Wu had survived, as well as most of the council, so at least there wouldn't be any more changes of power until the next scheduled elections. She and Bolin spent most of that first night's reunion drunk as skunk-dogs and the hangover was nearly unbearable.

Korra received word about Tonraq and Senna after Opal returned through the Spirit Portal. Her father had been badly injured but the Red Lotus terrorists had all been killed or captured. Like they'd suspected, all lines of communication had been utterly destroyed before the Red Lotus had been stopped and Opal relayed the news that it would be weeks or even months before reliable contact could be re-established. But her father would live, and that helped her rest easier at night. She'd later find out that Opal had been instrumental in saving her father's life from a second attack.

Korra was ready for a month-long nap by the end of it all. Maybe even a two month nap. She wasn't plagued with nightmares, though on more than one occasion she'd dream about killing Amaya. She'd promised Asami that she would talk about it eventually, but there was too much to do to focus on it, and there was something important she needed to do in the Fire Nation. She still desperately wanted to see that her parents were okay with her own eyes, too. Sorting through her feelings would have to wait. She'd done the right thing, the only option she'd had at the time. She just needed to accept the truth of that.

The Capitol was in nearly as bad shape as Republic City. Wreckage and burned out buildings everywhere, tent cities cropping up to help give more shelter for those who'd become homeless and the hospitals were fit to bursting. But there'd been time set aside for a proper farewell to Lords Zuko and Izumi, and the hero named Ty Lee. It wasn't the first service Korra had attended in the wake of the war. The lost Airbenders. Her cousin and the people in the North. Those lost in the Earth Kingdom. It wouldn't be the last either, she still had to check on her own Tribe, a thought that made a cold weight settle in her stomach.

A distraction to be sure, but the people of the Fire Nation needed one as badly as the citizens of the other states, and from the mood in the city Korra thought they might have rioted if the memorial hadn't been a public one. Lord Zuko had been much beloved in life, and in death his deeds were already becoming legendary.

Korra hadn't come alone. Kya and Lin had insisted. They'd been close to Izumi and Zuko had been like an Uncle to both of them. They weren't really fit for travel, but even with Lin injured it was impossible to not wilt before the Beifong Stare.

And Asami had come to say good bye to Ty Lee. With Korra on one side of her and Malina on the other, they walked towards the memorial. Most of the crowd had dispersed, many leaving flowers or charms or good wishes for the next life. But with less people around now was a good time to say good bye.

All three had been cremated, their remains placed inside elaborate urns. Zuko's was decorated with dragons and Korra wondered what Druk would do without his old friend. She made a mental note to find out.

Izumi's had more intricate designs, reminiscent of flowers in fan-like designs. And Ty Lee's had been painted in the colors of the Kyoshi Warriors, a painted face in their style on the front.

Candles had been placed on several surfaces, and Korra lit some incense under a picture of Zuko. It was mostly for Aang that Korra had come. Zuko's last wish had been to protect her. His best friend had been her past life, and he'd done so much for her personally too.

The memorial service itself had been brief, but Korra had gone through it on autopilot. She was pretty sure she'd said something profound about Zuko, but she couldn't quite recall what it was at the moment. It had been important for her to speak. Here, and elsewhere as she'd done already. For the lost and for the living so that fear didn't rule the day.

While Asami paid her respects to Ty Lee, Korra glanced around. There was a gathering of Kyoshi Warriors in full armor. They'd come all this way to say good bye to one of their own and to honor the man many of them had guarded for so many years. Korra nodded at them. They were going to take Ty Lee's ashes back to Kyoshi Island, where they'd perform their own ceremonies. Ty Lee may have been of the Fire Nation, but she'd become a Kyoshi Warrior through and through.

"You old bastard!" A familiar old voice said. Korra turned to see Toph slowly approach the memorial. The old Earthbender seemed to look right at Zuko's urn, an accusing look on her face. "You old _bastard_. We had a deal. I was supposed to go first. Now I'm the only one left!"

" _Excuse me._ " A Kyoshi Warrior older than Toph came over, leaning heavily on a cane. Her voice was shakey but annoyed. "You're not the only one left."

Toph glanced in the direction of her voice and tilted her head. "Huh. I thought you were dead, Suki. They told me you were dead. I had cake in your honor."

"Why does everyone forget about me?"

"Maybe it's because you blend into the crowd. It was good cake, too."

Korra stepped up to intervene, unsure of their dynamic or if they might resort to violence. This _was_ Toph, after all. "Suki! It's nice to finally meet you!"

"Avatar Korra!" Suki's smile was brilliant, even if most of her teeth were clearly false. She shook the Avatar's hand. Despite her advanced age, her eyes were sharp and her paint had been applied with care. "I'm glad I get to meet you."

"I met her first," Toph muttered. But she grunted, as though she didn't really mean it. Though it was hard to tell what Toph's grumps usually meant.

Korra turned back to Zuko's picture. "He gave me advice when I was lost and really needed it, and he was always there with an ear or a helping hand."

"He was a gigantic dufus," Toph declared. "But he was our gigantic dufus." Her voice started to waver and she blinked her eyes. "I'm.. going to miss him. It's not easy watching everyone pass. I should have been there, I should have come to help. I didn't think… I didn't think." It was an uncharacteristic display of emotion and Korra shifted uncomfortably.

Suki put her hand on Toph's shoulder. "You couldn't have known. It's their fight anyway now. The grandkids and their kids. Us old soldiers, we have to fade away."

Toph snorted. "Tell that to Ty Lee."

"Ty Lee always did have romantic notions," Suki pointed out. "This was how she chose her death. She wanted to go out a hero."

"I think I'm going to try to lift a mountain."

"...before you do that," Korra said. "You need to go see Lin. She was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. She lost her leg."

Toph's face dropped into a frown. "Huh. She did, did she."

"She was hurt defending the city and saving Kya."

"All right, all right. I'll go." Toph threw up her hands. "Just shut up about it already. Where is she?"

Korra gestured. "She and Kya were over there last I saw. They're both in wheelchairs."

"You just told me she lost her leg, of course she's in a wheelchair, I'm not a dummy!"

"I'm working on fixing that," Asami said, resting her hand on Korra's shoulder. "She'll be up and walking before she has a chance to get cabin fever."

Toph smiled. "Never underestimate a Beifong's ability to chafe when they feel trapped or restrained."

All of us

An interim government was put in place to oversee the recovery of the United Republic. Taking a page from the Earth Republic, the people would eventually vote on both a president, and an elected council that would act as a check on each other. Korra thought there would be future revisions to the concept over time, but she liked the idea of not having any one person wielding all the power. It was too easy to be corrupted or to have one group seize power.

One of the first steps to restoring peace and order was the police forces. Korra got to her feet as Mako stepped up to the podium to accept his promotion to Chief.

"The office of police chief is not hereditary," Lin said. "It is one earned through hard work and dedication. Our new Chief, Mako, has shown more than anyone else his dedication to this city and to this Republic. I am proud to have worked with him, and I would be proud to work under him."

Retirement didn't come easy to Lin. Even as she shook his hand, a part of her didn't want to retire. She stood unsteadily on a simple metal leg designed by Asami but even that wouldn't have prevented her from working. Despite that, it would take her some getting used to. Korra thought that the mental hang-ups would be the longer part of the recovery and she hoped Lin and Kya did try their world trip soon.

Standing at the podium, Mako looked at the crowd. There were his friends and his family, and all the police, new and old. There was a line of promotions waiting for him to approve. Yuki and Malina had both distinguished themselves, but they weren't the only ones and he was pretty happy that his first official act would be to apply the stamp of approval.

"We've all come a long way. Not just me, but all of you who've been with me since I joined the force, and after. Thanks to all of you, and our former Chief, we're a better Police force than we've ever been. And one day, when it's my turn to pass the torch, I only hope we're at least half as good as Beifong made us."

There was supposed to be a party after Mako accepted the promotion. It wasn't much of a party with cheap food and cheaper beer - too much resources were being directed to the recovery effort - but it was still a party. It took up most of the police station. Asami greeted Mako with a hug, and he returned the gesture gently. She was still recovering from her injuries, and had complained more than once when Bolin hugged her.

"How are you feeling?"

"My hand's feeling a little stiff. If we get a storm I might literally scream." She smiled lightly, resting the offending hand on his arm. "Otherwise I've been dealing with the mess my company is in."

"Isn't the case on hold?"

"On hold yes, dismissed, no." Asami wrinkled her nose. "I can guess where it'll go eventually, and it'll cost both me and the City more money that it's worth. I'm going to break Future Industries up, and then the politicians can figure out how they want to prevent that sort of thing from happening again."

"You should run for office sometime," Mako suggested. "I think you'd be a good politician. Maybe even a great one."

"President Asami Sato?" Asami joked. "I might as well aim high, right? But no, I think I'll be happier where I can get my hands dirty and really work at new technology."

Mako nodded. He wanted to see Asami happy more than he wanted to see her in office. "How will you divide Future Industries?"

"I'm still working on some of the details. The main Future Industries will be reorganized towards technology advancements and aeronautics. I know that I'm going to spin off the Satomobile division and probably the appliances division as well. I'm going to put Jia in charge of one of them." Asami laughed. "But I'll keep most of the fun toys for myself." She poked his arm. "Congratulations, by the way. I'm so proud of you, Mako."

"Thanks." He smiled a little bashfully. "Do I look okay without the mustache?"

"You look amazing, please never disgrace your lip with that monstrosity again?"

"Boss face!" Yuki threaded through the crowd, heading towards Mako and dragging Malina behind her. She was in full dress uniform, complete with shiny new bars signifying her new rank. "We've been looking all over for you. Malina has something she wants to ask you."

"Yuki!"

Yuki elbowed Malina, then continued. "You're free the night after tomorrow aren't you?"

"Yes but-"

"Malina is free that night too, and you've already got a reservation. I mean nothing better to show stability than the new Chief out on a date, right?"

Mako looked confused, Malina looked mortified, Yuki looked smug, and Asami hid a smile behind her hand.

"Right," Yuki finished. "Okay! So it's settled then. I better get a dance in." She grabbed Malina's hand and dragged her off.

"What just happened?" Mako turned to Asami, hoping she had some answers.

"Looks like you've got a date."

"Yeah I guess but she's one of my officers, that's really inappropriate."

"Not in the slightest, I've already hired her on for after the company split. She's a _genius_ with radio and communications. You're covered."

He narrowed his eyes at his old friend. "You hired away one of my best dispatchers _and_ you're completely innocent and unaware of Yuki's stunt?"

Asami smiled at him, an amused glint in her eyes. "I'll leave that a mystery."

As Yuki dragged her friend to the dance floor, Bolin was already there, his arms wrapped around Opal. When they weren't dealing with their respective recovery efforts he was pretty much wrapped around her. As much as Opal had worried about him, he'd worried twice as much about her.

Opal didn't mind it as long as he wasn't being overbearing. She'd monopolized him for the dance floor, except for the one dance she'd been unable to resist with Korra. There'd been a few things she wanted to talk to him about, but had yet to find the right time or place. She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder as they swayed to the music. They'd earned this, she decided. All of them. All the fighting and rebuilding and they'd earned a chance to celebrate.

She wondered if it would become a tradition. Every time they beat an enemy, celebrate something good as soon as possible. Remember all the reasons that they'd fought so hard. She could live with that. The Airbenders were still recovering and something to wash away the grief was welcome. They needed happy things, again.

"Everything okay?"

She pulled her head back to look up at her husband. "Everything's fine. I've just been thinking."

"I've been thinking about things too. Like uhm I know it's kind of soon we've only been married like eight years but maybe I kind of wouldn't mind we should talk about kids. I mean only if you want any because you'd have to do all the work at first but I'd help after they're born!"

Opal laughed, then planted a big kiss on his lips. "It's good you want to talk about that, because I'm pregnant." She was an airbending master, she could be a mom. She could totally be a mom, and maybe a better mother than hers had been at times. She hoped Bolin really _was_ okay with the idea. She'd have to make sure.

Maybe once he was done fainting.

Korra caught Mako's arm when he started to move for his brother. "I'm sure he's okay. I think Opal just told him she's pregnant."

"Wait, what?"

She smiled. "Mmhm. You're going to be an uncle."

"...I'm not ready for that responsibility."

Elbowing him, Korra admonished, "Of course you are and you know it."

"What about you, thinking of kids?"

"Not even a little." Korra leaned against him, feeling suddenly weary. "If I can't even protect Republic City how am I going to be able to protect a child? Asami and I are too busy anyway."

Mako nodded. "You protected Republic City just fine. It's still standing and it'll be better than ever. As for kids, I think you need to ask yourself, if you set the rest of that aside, do you actually want one. Maybe you'll say no, maybe you'll say yes, but after that you can figure out the rest of it."

"There are a lot of orphans out there," Korra admitted. "And I loved watching Jinora and the others grow up." She straightened. "It's not like I won't be around for Bolin and Opal, and any others of our friends who have any."

"You're probably the most awesome auntie that ever existed," Mako pointed out.

"Damn right." She'd just been so tired lately. The fight had made her weary and she still felt an intense guilt over how everything had turned out. She glanced around. Korra spotted Ikki with Jia, but other than her and Opal there weren't many Airbenders present. She made a mental note to check in on Tenzin for about the fifth time that week, but her thoughts were getting cluttered and it was hard to breathe. "...I think I need some air. Congrats, Mako. You're going to be the best Chief ever." She kissed his cheek, then quickly left the room.

There was an office nearby, and she let herself in and opened the window. The cool breeze helped center her, and she closed her eyes as she tried to meditate away her thoughts.

Asami followed her, and remained silent for awhile, letting Korra center herself. She approached slowly, waiting for Korra to accept her presence, then sat next to her at the window and took her hand. "Want to talk about it?"

"Just...the same thing it's been since the fight."

Asami brought Korra's hand to her cheek and nuzzled it. She said nothing, waiting for her wife to continue.

"I keep asking myself if it was worth if. The way I had to win. And if I had to win that way, why didn't I do it sooner, before more people died? Maybe Ty Lee would still be alive and you'd have someone to talk to about that whole Azula thing. Maybe Tenzin wouldn't have to rebuild his people all over again. Maybe Lin wouldn't have lost her leg."

"You can't keep second guessing yourself. I don't know if there was another way, but I do know you didn't do it because you wanted revenge, or because you were angry. You did it to stop someone who was completely lost." She shifted closer, taking Korra's face between her hands and staring into her eyes. "I wanted to get through to her too, but she wouldn't listen. But what kind of person would you be if killing was the first resort instead of the last one?"

"I can still... I can still feel it. The metal moving inside her." Korra closed her eyes, then inhaled slowly and opened them again. Asami was still there, her eyes kind and her face unjudging. "What if I have to do it again. What do we do then? What kind of person does that make me?"

"The sun always comes out and chases away the shadows, Korra. That makes you the Avatar. Make every decision to the best of your knowledge and abilities. We'll face the future together, you and me, all of us."

Actions had consequences, Korra thought. Everything led to something else and you didn't always know where you'd end up. She leaned in, kissing Asami lightly.

Asami was her heart, and she could draw strength from that when she needed it. And unlike Amaya, that strength was freely given, with Korra's strength given back in equal measure. To Asami, to Mako and Bolin, the Airbenders and Republic City. The whole of the world, everyone who needed her, they'd always have her strength. "Okay. We'll face it together. _All_ of us."

 _ **(**_ ** _I'm really bad at responses and at expressing gratitude, but I wanted to thank you for reading and coming along on this journey with me. It really means a lot to me.)_**


End file.
